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WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 


AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 


JOHN  MORRIS. 


"And  we  will  put  down  the  things  we  have  seen  as  seen,  and  the  things  we  have 
heard  as  heard,  in  order  that  our  book  may  be  honest  and  true,  without  auy  lie,  and 
that  every  one  that  may  read  or  hear  this  book  may  believe  it;  for  all  things  it  con 
tains  are  true."— Recueil  des  Voyages  de  la  Societt  de  Geographic.— Voyage  de  Marco 
Polo.  * 


NEW    YORK: 

PUBLISHED     BY     THE     AUTHOR, 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1873,  by 

JOHN    MORKIS, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  "Washington,  D.  C. 


PS 


CONTENTS. 


PAOK. 
INTRODUCTORY  ." 5 

CHAPTER    L 
EARLY  DAYS 9 

CHAPTER    II. 
EARLY  DAYS 18 

CHAPTER   III.. 
PROFESSION 21 

CHAPTER   IV. 
THE  CLUB 27 

CHAPTER    V. 
CAPTAIN  WILLIAM  SMITH 30 

CHAPTER    VI. 
DIPLOMACY ." 37 

CHAPTER   VII. 
MAJOR  GEORGE  JENKS 47 

CHAPTER    VIII. 
FARO 56 

CHAPTER    IX. 
DEPARTURE 75 

CHAPTER   X. 
PH ANTOMS  OF  THE  MEMORY .• 84 

CHAPTER    XI. 
"WHEEL-ING 88 

%                CHAPTER    XII. 
Ox  TO  RICHMOND 106 

CHAPTER   XIII. 
THE  HORSE 112 

CHAPTER   XIV. 
"WASHINGTON  CITY 140 

CHAPTER    XV. 
INVENTORS - 156 

CHAPTER    XVI. 
INCUBI 180 

CHAPTER    XVII. 
SHARPERS...  187 


215953 


4  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    XVIII.  PAOK. 

SCENES  AT  LONG  BRANCH 197 

CHAPTER    XIX. 

SECOND-CLASS  SKINMNG-HOUSES 2°7 

CHAPTER    XX. 

SHARPERS 224 

CHAPTER   XXI. 
BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 241 

CHAPTER    XXII. 
NEW  YORK •' 262 

CHAPTER    XXIII. 
SQUARING  ACCOUNTS 280 

CHAPTER    XXIV. 
IN  THE  LOCK-UP 285 

CHAPTER    XXV. 
BOXERS 310 

CHAPTER    XXVI. 
PERSECUTION 321 

CHAPTER    XXVII. 

PREJUDICES 335 

CHAPTER    XXVIII. 
WOLF-TRAPS 354 

CHAPTER    XXIX. 
"WOLF-TRAPS—  Continu'd 366 

CHAPTER    XXX. 
SHARP  PRACTICE 380 

CHAPTER    XXXI. 
LEXINGTON  RACES 386 

CHAPTER    XXXII. 
THE  FLIGHT 401 

CHAPTER    XXXIII. 
THE  MISSISSIPPI 413 

CHAPTER    XXXIV. 
RIVER  SHARPERS 422 

CHAPTER   XXXV. 
THREE-CARD  MONTE  THROWERS 435 

CHAPTER    XXXVI. 
THE  HOG-DROVER 444 

CHAPTER    XXXVII. 
MOBILE 459 

CHAPTER    XXXVIII. 
A  "  NIGGER  IN  THE  FENCE." 463 

CHAPTER    XXXIX. 
THE  "NIGGER"  GETS  OUT ...481 


INTRODUCTORY. 


"  The  castled  crag  of  Drachenfels 
Frowns  o'er  the  wide  and  winding  Rhine." 

In  all  Europe  no  lovelier  view  meets  the  eye  of  the  tourist 
than  that  seen  from  the  summit  of  the  Dragon  Mountain.  For 
more  than  sixty  miles  the  eye  may  trace  the  windings  of  the 
beautiful  Rhine,  as  it  meanders  through  fertile  valleys  adorned 
with  highly-cultivated  farms,  vineyards,  churches,  villas,  and 
the  palatial  residences  of  the  nobility.  Beneath  him  lies  the 
beautiful  village  of  Melheim,  to  the  left  the  ruins  of  Rollandseck 
and  the  islands  of  Nonnerswerth  and  Oberwinter,  to  the  right 
the  ruins  of  Godesburg,  and,  farther  on,  the  city  of  Bonn,  while 
in  the  dim  distance  the  cathedral  spires  of  Cologne  point  to 
heaven. 

As  the  eye  turns  from  the  river  the  scene  is  entirely  changed. 
Hills  elevated  above  hills,  in  endless  succession  of  pyramids, 
until  the  eye  turns  for  relief  to  the  beautiful  Rhine. 

The  Rhine!  The  German's  fairy-land!  His  heaven  upon 
earth !  The  semi-barbarous  hordes  who,  centuries  ago,  inhabited 
the  castles  whose  picturesque  ruins  strike  the  traveler  with  ad 
miration  and  delight,  are  to  him  familiar  friends.  Their  deeds 
of  rapine,  their  deadly  feuds,  the  scenes  of  "battle,  murder,  and 
sudden  death,"  in  which  their  lives  were  spent,  are  to  him  the 
essence  of  chivalry.  Truly,  a  more  blood-thirsty  set  of  villains 
never  disgraced  humanity.  The  peasantry  who  fed  their  flocks 
on  the  fertile  hills,  or  lived  in  Arcadain  simplicity  in  the  valleys 
enclosed  by  them,  had  no  rights  which  they-  held  themselves 
bound  to  respect.  "Might  made  right,"  according  to  their  creed, 
and  their  scanty  flocks  were  laid  under  contribution  at  their 
pleasure,  and  even  their  wives  and  daughters  torn  from  their 
arms  to  gratify  the  brutal  lust  of  their  masters.  Such  were  the 


6  INTRODUCTORY. 

Rhenish  heroes,  whose  deeds  are  the  theme  of  poets,  histori 
ans,  and  writers  of  romance,  and  whose  magnificent  tombs, 
emblazoned  with  their  virtues,  adorn  many  of  the  temples  along 
the  banks  of  the  Rhine,  while  the  ruins  of  their  feudal  palaces 
still  dot  the  banks  of  that  beautiful  stream,  monuments  of  rapine 
and  oppression. 

From  Bonn  to  Manheim  the  scenery  is  at  times  wild  and 
startling,  then  as  serenely  beautiful  as  one  of  Claude  Lorraine's 
evening  scenes. 

But  the  hand  of  man  has  done  as  much  to  "beautify  the  sce 
nery  along  the  Rhine  as  the  hand  of  nature.  Improved  archi 
tecture  has  given  to  the  dwellers  on  the  banks  of  this  storied 
river,  more  commodious  and  modern,  if  less  picturesque  dwell 
ings,  than  those  formerly  occupied  by  their  robber  chieftains, 
and  the  wayfarer  is  now  sheltered  in  elegantly-appointed  hotels, 
instead  of  being  the  guest  of  lordly  barons,  and  is  plundered 
after  the  most  approved  modern  fashion.  No  impolite  demand 
for  "your  money  or  your  life,"  accompanied  with  an  argument 
in  the  shape  of  a  sword,  lance,  or  battle-axe.  Matters  are 
arranged  in  a  much  more  polished  style  in  these  civilized  days. 
Mine  host  presents  his  bill  with  the  courtly  bow  of  the  Mexican 
robber  while  inviting  a  padre  on  the  road  to  disgorge.  He  is 
careful  to  wait  uiiul  the  luggage  of  his  guest  is  on  the  cart,  and 
the  carriage  waits  to  convey  him  to  the  steamer  or  railway  sta 
tion.  He  then  presents  his  bill  of  costs.  'Tis  of  no  use  to  haggle 
over  the  items;  as  soon  would  the  robber  chieftains  of  old  abate 
one  jot  or  tittle  of  their  demand,  as  the  smiling  host  who  so 
suavely  insists  on  his  "  bond,"  even  to  the  uttermost  farthing. 

No  grander  treat  can  be  given  to  the  denizens  of  the  over 
crowded  cities  of  London,  Paris,  or  St.  Petersburg,  than  a  trip 
through  the  mountains  of  Switzerland  and  along  the  Rhine. 
The  scenery  of  France,  England,  and  Russia,  is  tame  in  compar 
ison,  and  they  are  ravished  with  delight  on  first  beholding  this 
storied  river.  Have  not  Byron,  Scott,  and  many  others,  immor 
talized  its  scenic  beauties,  both  in  song  and  prose  f 

But  the  Irishman  can  find  as  pleasing  scenery  along  his  own 
beautiful  Shannon,  and  Switzerland  nor  Italy  has  nothing  to 
compare  with  the  charming  Lakes  of  Killarney.  Even  the  Scot 
need  not  desert  his  native  mountains  for  those  of  other  coun 
tries,  and  the  American,  who  crosses  the  most  dangerous  ocean 


INTRODUCTORY.  7 

in  the  world  to  behold  the  beauties  and  wonders  of  another  con 
tinent,  leaves  behind  him  scenes  as  grand  and  beautiful  along 
the  upper  Mississippi,  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  the  great  lakes. 
He  will  not  find  his  native  Hudson  surpassed,  even  by  the 
Khine,  nor  lakes  in  Europe  more  charming  than  Saint  George. 

The  dwellers  on  the  western  range  of  the  Andes  can  well 
afford  to  look  with  indifference  on  the  scenery  of  Switzerland, 
and  a  short  sea  voyage  of  three  days,  from  New  Orleans  to  Vera 
Cruz,  and  a  forty  miles  journey,  over  one  of  the  finest  roads  in 
the  world,  to  the  city  of  Jalapa,  and  the  traveler  finds  himself 
surrounded  by  scenery  unsurpassed  on  the  face  of  the  earth  for 
grandeur  and  sublimity,  and  where  all  the  climates  and  pro 
ductions  of  the  world  can  be  embraced  in  a  single  glance  from 
the  mountain-side  above  Jalapa. 

The  seeker  after  antiquities  may  continue  his  journey  to 
Yucatan,  where  once  flourished  a  now  extinct  and  almost  totally 
unknown  race  of  beings,  believed  to  have  been  as  highly  civil 
ized  as  the  people  of  Assyria  and  Ancient  Egypt,  and  the  rums 
of  whose  once  splendid  temples  and  cities  he  will  find,  amongst 
the  tropical  forests  of  Misantla  and  Papantla,  and  which  will 
prove  as  interesting  to  him  as  climbing  the  pyramids  of  Egypt  or 
rambling  among  the  musty  tombs  of  Memphis  or  of  Thebes. 

It  is  now,  however,  only  fashionable  for  Americans  to  make 
the  "tower  of  Oorop,"  and  up  the  Nile  to  the  Holy  Land,  and  to 
return  thoroughly  disgusted  with — everything  American. 

La  Belle  Eiviere,  or  the  Ohio,  was  once  a  favorite  resort 
during  the  summer  months.  It  is,  indeed,  a  beautiful  stream ! 
The  lovely  valleys  and  rounded  hills,  into  which  its  banks  are 
diversified,  present  to  the  eye  a  succession  of  verdure  so  varied 
as  to  at  once*  attract  the  lover  of  beautiful  scenery.  For  more 
than  six  hundred  miles  the  eye  is  momentarily  presented  with 
something  new  to  feed  upon.  It  has  not,  indeed,  the  ruined 
castles  and  churches,  the  terraced  vineyards  and  frowning  cliffs, 
for  which  the  romantic  Ehine  is  celebrated,  but,  at  every  turn  of 
the  river,  finely-cultivated  farms,  thriving  orchards,  herds  of 
cattle,  sheep,  and  horses,  "  on  a  thousand  hills,"  with  an  endless 
number  of  towns,  cities,  and  villages,  teeming  with  a  restless  and 
energetic  people. 

Twenty  years  ago  the  charming  scenery  of  the  Ohio  was  the 
theme  of  painters  and  tourists  who  moved  over  its  gentle  waters, 


8  INTRODUCTORY. 

and  enjoyed  its  ever-changing  scenery  from  the  decks  of  palatial 
steamers  which  supplied  to  the  traveler  every  luxury  of  a  first- 
class  hotel. 

But  railroads  have  superseded  this  once  delightful  route,  and 
the  beauties  of  this  most  lovely  river  are  left  to  an  occasional 
wandering  tourist,  the  dweller  on  its  banks,  or  the  boatman  who 
labors  along  its  tranquil  waters. 


WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 


CHAPTER    I. 

EAELT  DATS. 

In  one  of  the  loveliest  of  those  valleys  which  lie  along  the  Ohio 
River,  the  author  of  these  memoirs  had  the  fortune,  or  the  mis 
fortune,  to  hecome  one  of  the  human  family. 

I  leave  the  question  an  open  one,  because  there  has  been  much 
haggling  over  the  query,  whether  the  birth  of  a  human  being  is 
a  fortunate  event,  or  otherwise,  to  him  or  her  having  no  control 
or  choice  in  their  own  incarnation,  and  who,  if  what  the  ortho 
dox  affirm  be  true,  may  be  "foreordained  from  the  beginning 
of  the  world"  to  suffer  not  only  here,  but  eternal  torments  here 
after,  for  the  "deeds  done  in  the  body." 

There  is,  has  been,  and  always  will  be  in  existence,  many  who 
believe  birth  to  be  a  misfortune ;  for  who  would  desire  to  come 
upon  this  earth  to  endure  "  the  slings  and  arrows  of  outrageous 
fortune,  and  the  thousand  natural  ills  the  flesh  is  heir  to/1  only 
to  leave  it  for  that  rather  uncertain  locality  where  "the  worm 
dieth  not,  and  the  fire  is  not  quenched"?  This  abstruse  question 
is  too  deep  for  me,  and  I  leave  to  hair-splitting  philosophers  and 
wrangling  priests  a  subject  on  which  they  have  wasted  much 
argument,  witflout  arriving  at  any  satisfactory  result.  Of  this 
(to  me)  important  fact,  I  am  perfectly  satisfied — that  I  was  born 
into  the  world,  in  the  town  of  Marietta;  whether  for  fortune  or 
misfortune.  It  was  doubtless  ordained  that  I  should  be  born 
there,  and  probably  also  ordained  that  I  should  be  a  wanderer 
and  a  vagabond  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  finally  give  these 
memoirs  to  the  public,  in  which  I  have  related  my  experience. 

I  regret  not  the  past  and  anticipate  not  the  future,  and  look 
on  life,  with  its  pleasures,  vexations,  and  cares,  as  a  feverish 
dream. 


10  "WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

If  I  am  sorry  for  anything,  it  is  that  the  theme  on  which  I 
write  is  not  in  more  able  hands.  But  the  subject  is  within  the 
knowledge  of  but  few ;  and  of  those  few  persons,  I  do  not  know 
of  one  any  more  capable  of  writing  a  book  upon  the  subject  than 
myself.  Therefore,  whatever  may  be  its  defects,  let  them  be  at 
tributed  rather  to  the  lack  of  education  than  lack  of  truth. 

Forty  years  ago  the  town  of  Marietta  was  a  thriving  place, 
depending  mostly  on  the  rich  farming  country  by  which  it  was 
surrounded,  and  numbered  a  population  of  fifteen  hundred  souls. 
It  contained  two  flour  mills,  a  foundry,  and,  as  it  was  the  county 
seat,  a  brick  court-house  and  jail. 

A  fine  little  wharf,  paved  in  with  cobble-stones,  adorned  the 
city  front,  and  afforded  accommodation  to  the  steamboats, 
trading-boats,  keel-boats,  and  all  the  various  river-craft  that 
plied  on  the  waters  of  the  placid  Ohio. 

The  little  town  could  boast  also  of  four  different  religious  sects, 
for  the  godly  lived  in  Marietta. 

The  Methodists  and  Presbyterians  had  each  a  small  brick 
church ;  while  the  Catholics  and  Baptists  had  each  a  less  preten 
tious  temple,  to  wit,  a  small  frame  building. 

As  far  as  my  recollection  goes,  the  four  religious  denominations, 
or  at  least  their  members,  jogged  on  pretty  peaceably  together, 
barring  the  usual ;  uiount  of  backbiting,  "hate,  envy,  and  all  un- 
charitableness,"  to  be  found  generally  among  Christian  sects, 
and  all  other  sects,  I  suppose,  who  imagine  their  way  the  only 
right  one,  and  their  road  to  heaven  the  only  legitimate  one. 

In  our  town  the  Methodists  and  Presbyterians  were  the  ruling 
powers,  much  inclined  to  Puritanism  in  their  notions,  and  with  a 
disposition  to  rule  sinners  by  whip  and  spur. 

None  but  the  godly  could  hold  any  office  in  Marietta. 

Groggeries,  bowling  saloons,  billiard  tables,  and  other  abom 
inations  of  "  the  world,  the  flesh  and  the  devil,"  were  not  tolera 
ted,  and  the  individual  who  desired  to  slake  his  thirst  in  a 
draught  of  "red  eye,"  or  any  other  alcoholic  fluid,  was  obliged  to 
call  at  the  bar  of  the  "  Old  Hickory  Tavern." 

This  venerable  structure  was  a  two-story  house,  built  of  logs, 
with  a  curfew  cupola  on  the  top,  from  whence  the  alarm  was 
sounded,  which  told  the  patrons  of  the  "  Old  Hickory  "  when  their 
meals  were  ready. 

As  was  customary  in  those  days,  a  tail  sign-post  stood  in 


EARLY  DATS.  11 

front  of  this  hostel,  from  which  dangled  a  large  square  sign, 
ornamented  with  a  portrait  of  the  terrible  hero  of  New  Orleans, 
dressed  in  what  was  then  supposed  to  be  full  military  style, 
seated  on  a  cavorting  steed,  with  a  drawn  sword  in  his  hand,  his 
gray  hair  standing  out  beneath  his  cocked  hat,  like  "  quills  on 
the  fretful  porcupine,"  while,  from  the  expression  of  his  counten 
ance,  one  would  imagine  him  in  the  act  of  dealing  death,  de 
struction,  and  damnation,  to  the  entire  host  of  Britishers. 

Such  was  the  "Old  Hickory"  tavern,  the  only  institution  of  its 
kind  in  the  place.  It  was,  to  the  lovers  of  that  "  triumph  of  the 
adversary,"  whiskey,  what  the  oasis  in  the  desert  is  to  the  parch 
ed  traveler;  even  the  boatmen  who  desired  to  quench  their 
thirst  had  no  other  resort,  so  opposed  were  the  puritanical  rulers 
of  the  town  to  drinking-houses.  Had  they  possessed  the  power, 
even  the  bar  of  the  "Old  Hickory"  would  not  have  been  permit 
ted  to  dispense  whiskey  and  its  evil  influence  to  the  inhabitants 
of  the  place.  But  the  laws  of  the  State  allowed  taverns  to  sell 
liquors  for  the  accommodation  of  their  guests,  and  John  Travis, 
the  jolly  landlord,  was  a  grievous  thorn  in  the  flesh  to  many  of 
the  godly  town,  who  offered  up  long-winded  prayers  and  exhorta 
tions  in  his  behalf.  But  the  incorrigible  sinner  refused  to  repent, 
and  exchange  whiskey-dispensing  for  psalm-singing,  and  was 
finally  given  up  as  irrevocably  damned.  He  took  the  matter  very 
easy,  however,  for  one  in  his  perilous  situation,  and  even  seemed 
to  prosper  under  it.  Perhaps  the  knowledge  that  much  good 
company  was  in  the  same  boat  with  him,  reconciled  him  to  his 
fate;  for  in  even  so  holy  a  place  as  Marietta,  were  many  jolly 
fellows,  fond  of  sport  and  their  glass  of  whiskey,  and  who  man 
aged  to  enjoy  a  tolerably  jolly  life,  notwithstanding  the  frowns 
and  predictions  of  their  more  godly  townsmen,-  who  considered 
every  one  irremediably  lost,  who,  under  any  circumstances  what 
ever,  visited  a  horse-race,  cock-fight,  bull-bait,  the  bar-room  of 
the  Old  Hickory,  or  so  much  as  handled  a  pack  of  cards. 

For  a  place  so  far  west,  and  so  much  frequented  by  boatmen, 
Marietta  had  more  than  her  share  of  puritanical  tyranny.  But, 
in  those  days,  this  sort  of  oppression  had  spread  its  influence 
from  the  eastern  shores  of  New  England  to  the  confines  of  west 
ern  civilization,  and  made  itself  heavily  felt  in  nearly  all  the 
Southern  States. 

The  Puritans  wielded  the  law-making  power  of  the  country, 


12  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

and  could  they  but  have  effectually  carried  out  their  designs,  we 
should  now  be  borne  back  to  the  good  old  days  of  Cotton  Mather. 

For  many  years  they  held  this  power,  but  the  unruly  spirits 
of  the  land,  more  especially  in  our  large  cities  and  many  of  the 
important  towns  in  the  Southern  and  Western  States,  revolted 
against  their  arbitrary  and  despotic  acts,  and  prevented  them 
from  being  enforced. 

But  'if  Puritanism  received  a  check  in  that  direction,  it  still 
held  unlimited  sway  over  what  is  called  "society." 

"  Society"  shut  its  doors  in  the  faces  of  those  who  dared 
dispute  its  somber  teachings,  or  enjoy  life  contrary  to  its  rigid 
and  uncompromising  rules. 

Exceptions  were  of  course  made  in  favor  of  the  unmarried  sons 
of  the  wealthy.  Their  infidelities  could  be  tolerated  until  suita 
ble  wives  could  be  provided  for  them  from  among  the  faithful, 
and  they  could  thereby  be  brought  into  the  godly  .fold. 

Money  has  the  same  powerful  influence  over  the  opinions  of 
the  rigid  moralist  that  it  holds  over  those  of  the  most  hardened 
and  villainous. 

That  salutary  laws  are  necessary  to  check  the  growth  of  im 
morality,  protect  the  interests  of  the  people,  and  curb  vice  within 
bounds,  is  unquestionable;  but  whenever  such  power  has  been 
placed  in  the  .hand  :  of  Puritanism,  it  has  been  used  for  sectarian 
aggrandisement,  and  eventually  has  degenerated  into  intoler 
ance  and  oppression. 

However  despotic  and  brutal  may  have  been  the  means  used 
by  Peter  the  great,  to  bring  his  subjects  into  a  more  advanced 
state  of  civilization,  he  was  certainly  the  greatest  practical  re 
former  of  those  mentioned  in  history. 

He  partially  succeeded  in  reforming  the  morals  of  his  people, 
in  the  face  of  the  most  hostile  opposition  of  an  intolerant  and 
bigoted  clergy;  but  not  before  he  had  curbed  the  power  and  re 
formed  the  morals  of  the  clergy  themselves. 

That  the  morals  and  social  condition  of  the  people  of  these 
United  States  have  undergone  a  remarkable  change,  within  the 
last  thirty  years,  no  one  will  dispute.  Rampant  rowdyism  and 
drunkenness  is  not  nearly  so  prevalent  as  at  that  period. 

In  my  boyhood,  a  fourth  of  July,  St.  Patrick's  day,  a  general 
muster,  or  even  a  camp-meeting,  that  passed  without  the  average 
amount  of  fighting  having  taken  place,  was  a  thing  unheard  of. 


EARLY  DATS.  13 

Each  city,  town,  and  village  had  its  bullies,  who  were  esteemed, 
among  a  certain  class  of  their  townsmen,  in  proportion  to  their 
prowess  in  "free  fights." 

"Whenever  these  worthies  met,  at  any  public  gathering,  a  fight 
of  some  sort  was  the  inevitable  consequence.  If  one  could  not,  as 
was  preferable,  be  arranged  with  the  champions  of  some  rival 
town,  their  "dernier  resort"  was  a  " set-to"  among  themselves, 
just  to  keep  their  hands  in. 

In  those  days,  fighting  was  popular  with  the  masses,  and  the 
contests  of  their  gladiators  were  to  them  as  interesting  and  ex 
citing  as  were  those  which  took  place  in  the  arena  of  ancient 
Home  to  its  people. 

Between  these  partisan  bullies,  that  which  begun  in  single 
combat  was  frequently  joined  by  the  friends  of  both  parties, 
numbering  sometimes  fifty  or  more,  and  a  free  fight  was  the  re 
sult,  and  a  fortunate  thing  was  it  if  it  ended  in  nothing  more 
serious  than  black  eyes,  bloody  noses,  and  cracked  skulls. 

Of  organized  police  there  was  none  worthy  the  name,  even 
in  our  .large  cities;  and  if  a  constable,  sheriff,  or  any  other  officer 
presumed  to  interpose  his  authority  to  preserve  the  peace,  or 
break  up  a  fight,  his  interference  was  considered  highly  imperti 
nent,  and  as  an  infringement  of  his  rights  of  amusement  which 
no  son  of  liberty  would  for  a  moment  tolerate. 

Nor  was  this  roughness  of  character  confined  entirely  to  the 
lower  classes ;  even  the  wealthy,  and,  I  am  sorry  to  add,  educa 
ted  portion  of  the  people,  did  not  consider  it  beneath  them  to  be 
the  aiders  and  abettors  of  rowdyism. 

Even  our  first-class  colleges  were  but  little  less  than  schools 
of  rowdyism. 

The  amusements  of  the  scions  of  the  aristocracy  consisted  in 
playing  exceedingly  personal  practical  jokes,  wrenching  off 
knockers  ani  bell-handles,  knocking  down  infirm  watchmen, 
and  a  constant  succession  of  fights  with  the  young  men  of  the 
town  or  those  of  rival  colleges,  which  not  unfrequently  resulted 
in  death  to  some,  and  disfigurement  for  life  to  many  more. 

Among  the  wealthy  and  cultured  classes  punctiliousness  was 
mistaken  for  politeness,  and  their  haughty  and  patronizing  man 
ner  towards  their  poorer  and  more  ignorant  neighbors  was  near 
ly  unbearable,  and  must,  in  time,  have  led  to  a  bloody  social 
revolution,  had  it  not  been  for  our  extensive  territory,  and  the 


14  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

immense  tide  of  European  emigration  constantly  flowing  in 
upon  us. 

How  often  have  we  smarted  beneath  the  lash  of  criticism,  so 
unsparingly  inflicted  upon  us  by  Dickens,  Capt.  Hale,  and  Mrs. 
Trollope.  The  writers  of  this  country  have  exhausted  their 
genius  in  abusing  them,  because  they  had  the  audacity  to  hold 
up  to  the  world's  ridicule  the  elegant  peculiarities  of  the  in 
habitants  of  the  "greatest  country  on  the  face  of  the  earth." 
But  these  criticisms  have  unquestionably  done  much  for  our  im 
provement  ;  and  though  in  many  respects  highly  colored,  have 
certainly  had  the  effect  of  polishing  down  many  of  the  rough 
points  in  our  character. 

It  is  now  nearly  forty  years  since  Mrs.  Trollope  published  her 
book — and  what  a  sensation  it  created!  It  aroused  the  indigna 
tion  of  the  reading  public  from  the  great  Lakes  to  the  Gulf.  Yet 
nearly  every  statement  made  in  that  book  was  truthful !  When 
she  said,  in  her  book  of  travels,  that  it  was  common  on  our 
western  river  steamers  to  see  men  seated  at  their  meals,  in  com 
pany  with  ladies,  in  their  shirt-sleeves,  she  told  only  the  simple 
truth ;  and  only  what  I  myself  have  witnessed  repeatedly,  and,  I 
doubt  not,  many  who  read  this  have  also  witnessed. 

When  she  declared  she  had  seen  in  the  dress  circle  of  our  first- 
class  theatres,  nun  seated  on  the  balustrade  in  their  shirt 
sleeves,  with  their  backs  to  the  audience,  while  dozens  of  feet  at 
the  same  time  rested  on  the  rail,  she  told  but  the  truth !  Yet 
hundreds  of  pens  and  thousands  of  tongues  branded  her  with 
falsehood. 

Before  her  work  appeared,  it  was  no  uncommon  thing  for  both 
officers  and  passengers  to  be  seen  at  table,  on  board  the  west 
ern  steamers,  in  their  shirt-sleeves.  I  saw  the  same  thing  my 
self  a  few  years  after  reading  her  work. 

Whether  the  lady's  book  caused  the  revolution  or  not,  I  am 
unable  to  say;  but  within  a  year  or  two  after  its  publication,  no 
person  was  permitted  to  seat  himself  at  table,  on  a  steamer  car 
rying  passengers,  unless  in  proper  costume. 

For  myself,  I  have  no  recollection  of  ever  seeing  a  person 
seated  on  the  balustrade  of  the  dress-circle  of  a  theatre  in 
his  shirt-sleeves,  with  his  back  to  the  stage  while  the  perform 
ance  was  going  on,  but  I  have  been  credibly  informed,  by  eye 
witnesses,  that  the  thing  has  been  repeatedly  witnessed  by  them ; 


EAKLY  DATS.  15 

and  I  have  myself  seen  such  a  want  of  decorum  between  acts, 
on  several  occasions,  as  no  description  could  do  justice  to.  I 
have  also  seen,  though  I  am  glad  to  say  not  often,  persons 
asleep  in  the  dress-circle,  with  their  legs  hanging  over  the 
balustrade,  and  it  was  no  uncommon  sight,  a  few  years  since,  in 
our  southern  and  western  theatres,  to  see,  between  the  acts,  an 
extensive  crop  of  boots  reposing  on  it. 

Such  want  of  decorum  was  never  permitted  in  the  Mobile  and 
New  Orleans  theatres,  but  these  were  the  only  ones  west  of  the 
Alleghanies  and  south  of  the  Potomac  River,  hi  which  good 
manners  were  not  permitted  to  be  infringed. 

I  doubt  if  there  is  now,  within  the  broad  compass  of  Uncle 
Sam's  dominion,  a  theatre  where  a  person  would  be  permitted  to 
show  disrespect  to  the  audience  by  hanging  his  legs  over  the 
balustrade,  sitting  upon  it,  or  by  elevating  his  boots  upon  it. 

This  reformation  commenced  in  the  pit,  as  that  portion  of  the 
theatre  now  occupied  by  orchestra  chairs  was  formerly  denomi 
nated. 

Whoever  first  started  the  cry  of  "Boots,"  in  the  pit  of  a 
theatre,  was  the  first  reformer.  The  cry  became  popular ;  when 
ever  a  foot  appeared,  the  cry  of  "Boots"  was  started,  taken  up 
by  the  whole  pit,  .and  never  ceased  until  the  obnoxious  foot  had 
disappeared. 

In  the  course  of  my  wandering  life,  I  have  witnessed  two  af 
fairs  in  theatres,  which,  in  the  way  of  disgraceful  conduct,  cer 
tainly  far  surpassed  anything  described  in  Mrs.  Trollope's  book. 

The  first  of  these  took  place  in  the  Jefferson  Street  Theatre, 
in  Louisville,  in  the  summer  of  1837.  One  of  the  bloods  of  the 
place,  having  partaken  too  freely  of  the  ardent,  took  the  liberty 
to  sleep  it  off  in  the  dress-circle,  and  also  to  find  a  resting-place 
for  his  feet  by  hanging  them  over  the  balustrade. 

His  indecorous  position  might  have  passed  unchallenged  by 
the  pit  of  a  Cbuisville  theatre,  which,  at  that  period,  had  not 
accustomed  itself  to  be  at  all  squeamish  about  an  unusual  dis 
play  of  legs,  but  the  fellow  snored  so  loudly  as  to  attract  the  at 
tention  of  the  entire  house.  The  rowdy  pit  was  the  first  to  take 
exceptions  to  the  gentleman's  rather  free-and-easy  way  of  taking 
his  naps.  They  commenced  to  call  the  attention  of  the  rest  of 
the  audience  by  yells,  cat-calls,  hoots,  and  cries  of  "put  'em 
out,"  "saw  his  legs  off,"  "pitch  'em  down,"  "grease  his  nos- 


16  WASDEKINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

trils,  etc.  The  noise  and  confusion  awoke  the  slumbering  gen 
tleman,  who  stared  around  him  for  several  seconds,  and  finally 
began  to  comprehend  that  he  was  the  cause  of  the  disturbance. 
He  flew  into  a  violent  rage,  and  appeared  to  be  seized  with  a 
desire  to  thrash  the  whole  house.  He  hurled  at  his  tormentors 
a  volley  of  fierce  oaths,  which  only  caused  them  to  hoot,  hiss, 
and  yell  the  louder.  At  this  instant  his  eye  fell  on  a  knot  of  per 
sons  immediately  beneath  him,  who,  with  arms  outstretched 
towards  him,  were  hooting,  yelling  and  gesticulating  like  so  many 
fiends.  His  rage  was  now  centered  on  this  group.  Without  a 
moment's  hesitation  he  swung  himself  over  the  balustrade,  land 
ing  among  his  tormentors,  and  rained  stunning  blows  from  his 
fist,  right  and  left,  wherever  he  saw  a  head  to  strike  at.  His  at 
tacks  were  so  sudden  and  unexpected  that  he  had  floored  three 
of  his  tormentors,  and  made  as  many  more  feel  the  weight  of 
.  nis  fist,  before  they  recovered  from  their  surprise.  They  soon 
rallied,  however,  and  after  a  short  and  bloody  struggle,  the 
attacking  party  was  beaten  down,  trodden  under  foot,  and 
thumped  nearly  out  of  all  semblance  to  humanity,  with  scarcely 
a  stitch  of  clothing  remaining  on  his  person.  After  which  short 
but  glorious  struggle  he  was  carried  out,  covered  with  blood, 
while  the  sympathy  of  the  audience,  who  were  in  a  state  of  the 
wildest  excitemen'  at  this  short  act  not  mentioned  on  the  bills, 
showed  itself  unmistakably  in  favor  of  the  cause  of  the  dis 
turbance. 

The  women  seemed  quite  as  much  interested  as  the  men,  and 
the  actors  on  the  stage  never  changed  their  places,  but  patient 
ly  waited  until  the  row  was  over,  when  the  play  was  resumed. 

Five  years  later  I  was  present  at  a  performance  in  Shire's 
Theatre  at  Cincinnati. 

Between  the  acts,  a  gentleman  (?)  seated  himself  on  the  balus 
trade,  with  his  legs  dangling  over  the  outside ;  while  in  this  posi 
tion  he  amused  himself  by  squirting  tobacco  juice  on  to  the 
heads  of  the  spectators  beneath  him  in  the  pit — a  piece  of  pleas 
antry  which  cost  him  dearly. 

One  of  his  victims,  on  discovering  the  outrage,  quietly  left  the 
theatre,  and  returned  with  two  paving-stones,  one  of  which, 
being  hurled  at  his  head,  at  his  next  compliment  in  the  tobacco- 
juice  line,  brought  him  tumbling  into  the  pit  like  a  felled  ox. 

His  assailant  then  explained  his  reason  for  such  conduct,  and 


EAKLT  DATS.  17 

his  explanation  being  borne  out  by  the  soiled  garments  of  several 
around  him,  twenty  feet  at  least  commenced  kicking  the  fellow, 
who  had  not  yet  recovered  from  the  blow  from  the  paving-stone, 
and  it  is  probable  he  would  have  been  killed  then  and  there, 
had  not  a  body  of  police  forced  their  way  to  the  spot  and  rescued 
him,  in  an  insensible  state,  covered  with  blood,  and  beaten 
nearly  to  a  jelly. 

Happily,  such  want  of  decorum,  and  such  barbarous  scenes  as 
I  have  described,  are  no  longer  to  be  seen  at  our  places  of  amuse 
ment.  I  have  heard  of  but  a  single  fight  at  any  of  our  race 
meetings  for  fifteen  years.  That  to  which  I  allude  took  place 
on  the  Metarie  course,  at  New  Orleans,  during  the  ascendency 
of  the  Thugs. 

Our  "  glorious  fourth,"  and  St.  Patrick's  day,  pass  off  quietly. 
The  bands  of  firemen,  who  formerly  disgraced  our  large 
cities  with  their  frequent  brawls  and  fights,  have  disappeared, 
and  the  timid  and  peaceable  will  no  more  be  disturbed  by  their 
lawless  conduct.  Our  numerous  elections  pass  off  quietly,  and 
even  the  "Boyne  water"  creates  but  little  excitement  among 
our  Celtic  citizens  outside  the  city  of  New  York. 

New  York,  once  considered  the  worst-governed  city  in  the 
United  States,  and  as  entirely  given  over  to  rowdyism,  has, 
within  the  last  few  years,  carried  her  elections  peaceably  in  com 
parison  with  former  times.  During  the  presidential  election  of 
1864,  not  a  single  fight  took  place,  nor  was  there  a  drunken  man 
to  be  seen  in  the  streets ;  but  this  surprising  state  of  things  in 
the  annals  of  New  York  was  doubtless  due  in  a  great  measure 
to  the  presence  in  the  city  of  Gen.  Butler  with  a  large  body  of 
troops — a  fact  which,  no  doubt,  produced  on  many  a  very  moral 
effect.  It  is  true,  our  police  force  is  now  larger  and  better  or 
ganized  than  formerly,  but  if  the  people  had  not  learned  to  ap 
preciate  good  Srder,  the  police  would  be  powerless.  Formerly, 
the  people  enjoyed  a  fight,  and,  so  far  from  assisting  any  lawful 
authority  to  prevent  or  break  up  a  disturbance,  would  actually 
hinder  them  in  the  discharge  of  their  duty.  Places  of  amuse 
ment  and  drinking  saloons  have  increased  with  the  increase  in 
our  population,  yet  there  is  less  drunkenness  at  the  present 
time  than  forty  years  ago,  and  rowdyism  is  also  happily  on  the 
decline.  This  change  for  the  better  has  not  been  wrought  by 
religious  sects,  or  the  teachings  of  any  of  their  creeds.  It  is 


18  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

due  to  a  better  acquaintance  with  the  world.  The  press,  tele 
graphs,  railroads,  and  public  schools,  have  been  our  great  re 
formers.  The  large  amount  of  emigration  from  other  countries 
has  made  us  acquainted  with  a  new  race  of  beings.  Many  of 
their  customs  we  have  adopted,  their  more  gentle  manners  have 
had  a  tendency  to  soften  many  of  the  rougher  traits  in  our  char 
acters.  If  we  still  stick  to  the  "red  eye"  whiskey,  it  is  not 
now,  as  formerly,  the  prevalent  drink.  From  the  emigrants  we 
have  learned  the  use  of  malt  liquors  and  light  wines,  and  couce- 
quently  there  is  not  the  same  amount  of  drunkenness  in  the 
country,  with  a  population  of  nearly  forty  millions,  as  when  we 
numbered  scarcely  one-third  as  many. 


CHAPTER  II. 

EARLY  DATS. 

Facing  the  court-house,  and  within  a%few  doors  of  the  "Old 
Hickory"  tavern,  stood  a  one-story  frame  building,  with  a  goodly 
roof. 

The  front  of  this  building  was  painted  white,  and  a  bright  yel 
low  door,  on  each  side  of  which  was  a  window  with  green  Vene 
tian  blinds,  afforded  the  only  means  of  egress  and  ingress ;  and 
the  flaming  gilt  letters  on  the  sign-board  over  the  door  inform 
ed  the  public  that  this  was  the  establishment  of  "  Giles  &  Mor 
ris,  Merchant  Tailors." 

The  inside  of  this  institution,  which  was  about  twenty  feet  in 
width,  and  something  more  than  double  that  number  in  depth, 
was  divided  by  a  partition  into  two  apartments.  The  first  of 
these,  which  was  the  business  part  of  the  establishment,  had  a 
planed  floor,  a  plastered  ceiling,  and  handsomely  papered  walls, 
which  were  ornamented  with  penny  pictures  of  hunting  and  fish 
ing  scenes,  racing  and  trotting  horses,  etc. 

Near  the  partition,  which  divided  the  "store  "  from  the  work 
ing  department,  stood  a  long  pine  table  or  counter,  on  which 
was  arranged  several  bolts  of  foreign  and  domestic  cloth,  and  on 
the  three  shelves  supported  against  the  partition  were  various 
descriptions  of  goods  belonging  to  the  tailoring  business.  The 
furniture  consisted  of  half  a  dozen  cane-seat  chairs,  a  ragged 


EARLY  DAYS.  19 

sofa,  and  a  large  mirror,  in  which  the  customers  of  Giles  <te  Morris 
were  wont  to  inspect  their  newly-made  clothing.  A  door  in  the 
aforementioned  partition  gave  entrance  to  the  work  department, 
which  had  also  another  entrance  in  the  rear  of  the  building. 

As  far  as  appearances  were  concerned,  this  room  had  not  the 
remotest  claim  to  respectability.  The  flooring  and  walls  were 
composed  of  unplaned  hoards,  and  the  rough  beams,  on  which 
rested  the  flooring  of  the  upper  story,  were  uncovered.  It  was 
furnished  with  a  tailoring  table  of  a  size  to  accommodate  about 
three  workmen,  a  few  pine  benches,  several  splint-bottomed  chairs, 
a  water-pail,  a  wash-basin,  and  a  large  metal  stove. 

In  a  corner  of  the  room  was  a  rough  staircase,  which  led  to  the 
regions  above,  where  worn-out  articles  of  various  descriptions 
were  stored,  to  be  out  of  the  way.  One  corner  of  this  lumber- 
room  was  reserved,  however,  as  a  kind  of  arsenal,  for  storing  shot 
guns,  rifles,  game-bags,  nets,  fishing  tackle,  etc.,  etc. 

Giles  and  Morris  were  both  married,  but  I  was  the  sole  offspring 
of  that  illustrious  firm.  My  father,  John  Morris,  and  his  partner, 
had  conducted  the  only  respectable  tailoring  business  in  the 
place,  since  the  year  1825,  at  which  time  they  emigrated  there, 
from  Pittsburg,  which  city  was  the  native  place  of  both. 

The  business  yielded  them  a  very  respectable  living,  and,  had 
they  been  at  all  provident,  they  might  have  easily  laid  by  some 
thing  for  a  rainy  day.  But  the  firm  of  Giles  &  Morris  never 
looked  ahead  to  meet  trouble,  but  were  firm  believers  in  an  old 
Irish  adage,  which  affirms  that  "  It's  time  enough  to  bid  the  devil 
good  morning  when  you  meet  him."  They  loved  life  for  the  en 
joyment  which  it  afforded  them.  Both  were  mighty  hunters, 
and  the  life  of  the  sporting  fraternity  in  Marietta.  They  were 
organizers  and  directors  of  all  hunting  and  fishing  excursions, 
the  umpires  j,t  quarter-races,  cock-fights,  dog-fights,  bull-baits, 
bear-baits,  etc.  The  two  latter  amusements,  now  almost  un 
known,  were  in  those  days  very  popular.  Both  habitually  dress 
ed  in  the  style  of  hunters,  and  never  moved  without  a  retinue  of 
pointers,  setters  and  spaniels,  at  their  heels ;  while  at  their  res 
idences  they  never  failed  to  have  chained  one  or  two  fierce 
bull-dogs,  which  they  were  always  ready  to  match  in  a  fight 
against  any  other  animals  of  the  canine  species,  for  sums  vary 
ing  from  twenty-five  to  one  hundred  dollars. 

They  had  also  a  fine  breed  of  game-cocks,  distributed  on  dif 
ferent  farms  in  the  vicinity,  with  which  they  were  not  averse  to 


20  WANDERIKGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

fight  a  main  with  any  cockers  who  disputed  the  invincible  prow 
ess  of  the  birds  of  the  firm  of  Morris  &  Giles. 

I  suppose  there  never  before  or  since  existed  a  firm  where  per 
fect  good  feeling  and  tranquillity  reigned  so  supremely  as  with 
my  father  and  his  associate.  Whatever  was  done  by  one  part 
ner  was  cordially  endorsed  by  the  other.  Any  business  contract 
entered  into  by  one  partner  received  the  full  concurrence  of  the 
other.  And  if  one  commited  any  little  indiscretion,  such  as  go 
ing  on  a  spree  and  spending  or  gambling  away  the  money  belong 
ing  to  the  firm,  the  amount  so  appropriated  was  set  down  as 
"  expenses,"  and  not  the  slightest  misunderstanding  or  bickering 
took  place.  "A  bully  firm"  was  the  verdict  of  the  sports  of  the 
town.  I  think  no  husbands  were  kinder  or  more  attentive  to 
their  wives,  no  ladies  in  Marietta  dressed  better  than  my  mother 
and  the  wife  of  my  father's  partner,  and  I  believe  they  were  lov 
ing  and  faithful  wives.  My  parents  lived  very  happily  together, 
according  to  my  best  recollections,  during  the  short  time  they 
were  permitted  to  remain  on  this  earth  with  me.  To  me  they 
were  affectionate  and  indulgent,  more  especially  my  mother,  who 
was  a  person  of  some  literary  attainments,  and  spent  her  leisure 
hours  reading  books  of  travel,  novels,  poetry,  etc.  As  for  my 
father,  the  only  book  of  any  sort  he  was  ever  known  to  open  was 
his  ledger. 

In  the  summer  of  1832  the  town  was  visited  by  that  fell 
scourge  whose  poisonous  sting  has  defied  the  researches  of 
medical  science — the  Asiatic  cholera.  Among  its  victims  were 
both  my  parents ;  struck  down  within  an  hour  of  each  other. 
Amid  this  rapid  havoc  of  death  I  was  left  alone,  too  young  to 
understand  the  loss  I  had  suffered,  or  that  I  was  the  last  of  my 
race.  If  my  parents  left  any  relatives  behind  them,  they  have 
never  come  within  the  scope  of  my  knowledge. 

Death  therefore  dissolved  the  firm  of  " Giles  &  Morris; "  but 
the  business  was  continued  by  the  remaining  partner,  and  the 
large  sign -board  over  the  door  remained  unchanged.  Mr.  Giles 
had  many  advantageous  offers  of  partnership,  all  of  which  liu  re 
fused,  affirming  that  a  copartnership  existed  between  him  and 
myself,  for  I  had  fallen  under  his  guardianship,  together  with  the 
property  my  parents  had  left,  which  consisted  of  the  house  where 
we  had  lived,  its  furniture,  and  a  half  interest  in  the  tailor's  shop, 
and  the  ground  on  which  it  stood. 


PROFESSION.  21 

CHAPTEE    III. 

PROFESSION. 

Shortly  after  the  death  of  my  parents,  I  was  consigned  to  the 
care  of  an  old  Irishman,  Peter  McBirney  by  name,  who  had 
been  chosen  by  the  godly  Presbyterians  to  preside  over  the 
Academy  of  Marietta,  and  to  enlighten  the  understanding,  cor 
rect  the  tempers,  and  form  the  manners  of  the  youth  of  the 
place.  During  the  five  years  which  I  passed  under  the  fos 
tering  care  of  the  venerable  McBirney,  he  managed  to  flog  some 
of  the  rudiments  of  reading,  writing,  and  ciphering,  into  my 
cranium.  He  was  a  severe  master,  and  used  the  rod  upon  his 
scholars  with  an  unsparing  hand,  and  what  little  education  I  re 
ceived  from  him  cost  me  many  tears  and  stripes.  When  I  could 
read,  write,  and  cast  up  accounts  tolerably,  Mr.  Giles  considered 
my  education  finished,  and  removed  me  from  the  care  of  this 
worthy  old  gentleman,  and  transferred  me  to  the  tailoring  board, 
where  it  was  intended  I  should  learn  the  trade  of  my  father;  but 
it  requires  two  to  make  a  bargain,  and  my  worthy  foster-father 
and  myself  were  by  no  means  in  accord  on  the  subject.  The 
business  was  hateful  to  me.  A  tailor !  My  ambitious  soul 
soared  far  above  such  a  commonplace  occupation.  In  fact,  I 
had  no  desire  to  learn  any  trade,  but  had  a  romantic  idea  of 
being  a  rover  and  of  seeing  the  world — a  desire  which  was 
strengthened  by  reading  novels,  and  books  of  travels,  of  which  I 
was  inordinately  fond.  My  fond  foster-parents  saw  with  grief 
my  intractable  disposition,  for  their  minds  were  set  on  my  occupy 
ing  the  vacant  place  of  my  father  in  the  respectable  firm  of 
"Giles  &  Morris;"  but  "the  best  laid  schemes  of  mice  and 
men  gang  aft  aglee,"  and  they  were  doomed  to  disappointment. 
Often  did  my  poor  foster-mother,  with  tears  in  her  eyes,  prophesy 
that  I  should  leave  this  world  in  the  presence  of  a  large  audience 
some  fine  day,  my  exit  being  facilitated  by  "Jack  Ketch,"  and 
that  all  the  cares  they  had  lavished  on  me  would  be  repaid  by 
my  bringing  their  gray  hairs  in  sorrow  and  shame  to  the  grave. 
But,  I  am  happy  to  say,  none  of  these  somber  predictions  have 
been  verified.  So  far,  I  have  escaped  with  my  life,  and  never,  I 
believe,  either  brought  shame  or  sorrow  to  the  hearthstone  of 


22  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

my  kind  benefactors  (contrary,  I  doubt  not,  to  their  expectations), 
or  allowed  want  to  visit  their  door  in  their  old  age.  And  when  a 
kind  Providence  relieved  them  from  the  burdens  of  this  life,  I 
caused  a  neat  head-stone  to  be  placed  at  the  grave  of  each,  on 
which  were  recorded  their  names,  ages,  and  many  virtues. 

Had  I  been  less  obstinate  in  refusing  to  comply  with  the 
wishes  of  my  foster-parents,  I  might  have  been  to-day  a  respect 
able  member  of  society,  one  of  the  ruling  lights  of  Marietta,  per 
haps — possibly  its  Mayor,  or  even  Governor  of  Ohio!  Who 
knows  ?  Perhaps  I  might  be  rich  in  gold ;  the  owner  of  wide 
domains;  the  father  of  numerous  sons  and  daughters,  surround 
ed  by  hosts  of  friends,  sincere,  no  doubt,  so  long  as  their  inter 
ests  led  them  to  be  so. 

While  wealth  is  yours,  and  fortune  smiles,  friends  will  throng 
around,  and,  like  vultures,  batten  upon  you ;  but  let  the  fickle 
jade  desert  you,  and  the  cold  shade  of  adversity  fall  upon  you, 
and  they  will  leave  you  as  quickly  as  rats  will  abandon  a  sinking 
ship.  Friendship  is  a  holy  name,  but  bow  shamefully  abused  by 
man !  Friendship,  separated  from  interest,  is  almost  as  difficult 
to  discover  as  the  rejuvenating  springs  in  the  everglades  of 
Florida,  which  so  long  haunted  the  dreams  of  the  knightly  cut 
throats  of  Spam.  K  friendship  can  exist  between  the  wicked, 
the  voluptuous,  rncu  of  business,  or  politicians.  The  first  have 
only  accomplices,  the  second  companions,  the  third  partners, 
the  fourth  designing  associates.  It  is  only  among  the  truly  vir 
tuous  that  friendship  can  exist.  As  I  was  a  disobedient  and 
wayward  boy,  and  have  led  a  thriftless  and  roving  life,  I  am 
possessed  of  neither  honors,  wealth,  nor  friends.  Destiny  de 
creed  it ;  everything  is  governed  by  its  immutable  laws. 

Jupiter,  supreme  over  gods  and  men,  was  ignorant  that  at 
the  birth  of  Thetis,  the  fates  had  decreed  that  her  offspring 
should  be  greater  than  his  father,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the 
dark  hints  thrown  out  by  the  Titan,  whom  he  had  chained  to  a 
rock,  as  a  punishment  for  stealing  fire  from  heaven,  for  the  bene 
fit  of  mankind,  would  have  made  her  Queen  of  Heaven.  The 
Titan  exchanged  his  secret  for  his  liberty,  and  Juno  was  made 
Queen  of  Heaven  instead  of  the  mother  of  Achilles. 

If  I  did  not  learn  the  tailoring  business  under  the  worthy 
Giles,  I  in  a  great  measure  transacted  his  business  for  him, 
keeping  his  books,  making  out  and  collecting  his  bills,  and 
otherwise  rendering  myself  useful  to  him. 


PROFESSION.  23 

For  many  years,  old  Scruggs,  a  bottle-nosed  blue  Presbyterian, 
and  one  of  the  "unco  guid,"  was  prosecuting  attorney  for  the 
town  of  Marietta,  notwithstanding  the  "efforts  of  the  "jolly 
boys "  at  every  election,  to  oust  him  from  his  office.  The  old 
cock  knew  his  strength,  however,  and  also  knew  his  foes.  And 
whenever  one  of  the  boys  found  himself  in  the  strong  grip  of 
the  law,  he  looked  for  no  mercy  at  the  hands  of  Scruggs,  and 
certainly  found  none.  From  the  moment  he  was  installed  in  his 
office,  he  allowed  no  opportunity  to  slip  of  showing  his  hostility 
to  the  firm  of  "  Giles  &  Morris,"  whose  place  was  considered  by 
the  "unco  guid"  of  Marietta  to  be  the  head-quarters  of  all  the 
reprobates  for  miles  around,  and  a  hot-bed  of  deviltry  in  general. 
The  mysterious  gatherings  which  took  place  nightly  in  that 
building  could  be  for  no  good  purpose.  Had  not  young  Morton, 
a  well-to-do  dealer  in  the  grocery  line,  been  ruined  there,  and 
been  obliged  to  fly  from  the  town  from  inability  to  meet  the  de- 
'mands  of  his  creditors?  Did  not  poor  Jenkins,  chief  clerk  in 
the  mercantile  firm  of  "Clarke  &  Fisher, "embezzle  the  money 
of  his  employers,  and  gamble  it  away  at  the  tailor-shop  of  Giles 
&  Morris,  and,  in  consequence,  had  also  fled  to  parts  unknown? 
Was  it  not  publicly  known  that  John  Travis,  the  landlord  of 
the  "Old  Hickory,"  had  for  years  been  decoying  his  guests  to 
that  infamous  place,  that  they  might  be  robbed  of  their  money 
at  cards  ?  Was  it  not  common  talk,  not  only  in  Marietta,  but 
for  miles  around,  that  the  establishment  was  nothing  more  nor 
less  than  a  gambling-hell?  Notwithstanding  this,  and  the 
active  means  of  Scruggs  and  his  associates,  who  stuck  at  no 
underhanded  measures  to  accomplish  their  ends,  the  nightly 
visitors  of  the  firm  of  "Giles  &  Morris"  managed  to  escape 
the  punishment  which  their  enemies  were  burning  to  inflict  upon 
them.  During  the  life  of  my  father,  the  sheriff,  with  a  posse  of 
citizens,  had  once  burst  open  the  door  at  the  back  of  the  tailor- 
shop,  in  the  expectation  of  arresting  a  party  of  gamblers  while 
engaged  at  their  nefarious  business.  But  they  only  discovered 
several  gentlemen  in  conversation  over  whiskey  and  cigars  in 
the  working  department,  and,  to  their  great  chagrin  and  confu 
sion,  saw  no  signs  of  cards,  nor  any  indication  whatever  that 
the  inmates  had  met  for  the  purpose  of  gambling.  This  occur 
rence  created  no  small  stir  in  the  little  town.  Many  of  the 
citizens  who  abhorred  gambling  as  much  as  theft  were  not  at  all 


24  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

prepared  to  sanction  the  forcible  entry  into  a  house  by  the 
officers  of  the  law,  unless  armed  with  authority  by  a  magistrate. 
Such  a  precedent  was- a  dangerous  one,  and  contained  a  menace 
against  the  rights  of  domestic  privacy,  which  many  of  the  reli 
gious  and  respectable  citizens  were  not  disposed  to  tolerate. 

But  Puritanism  held  its  potent  sway  over  the  officers  and  the 
courts,  and  scarcely  a  lawyer  could  be  found  hi  the  place,  who 
possessed  sufficient  courage  to  take  a  stand  against  its  tyranny. 
I  forgot  to  say  that  after  the  sheriff  and  his  party  had  perpe 
trated  the  outrage  mentioned,  they  retired  without  making  any 
arrests,  or  the  smallest  excuse  for  their  unwarrantable  conduct. 
The  firm  of  Giles  &  Morris,  when  the  district  court  next  sat, 
brought  before  that  honorable  body  the  outrage  it  had  suffered, 
and  appealed  to  it  for  protection  against  similar  violent  visits  in 
the  future,  but  the  appeal  was  treated  with  indifference,  if  not 
with  contempt. 

The  result  of  this  descent  of  the  sheriff  and  his  followers,  and  - 
the  refusal  of  the  court  to  take  any  action  on  this  outrage,  was 
the  formation  of  a  new  political  party  in  the  town,  being  the  first 
blow  ever  struck  there  against  the  absolute  sway  of  Puritanism. 
The  firm  of  Giles  &  Morris  were  the  head  and  front  of  this 
new  faction,  and  fu-ound  them  rallied  all  the  free-livers  and  free 
thinkers  in  the  v.cinity.  From  the  rivermen  and  longshoremen 
residing  in  the  place  it  gained  its  greatest  support.  The  opposi 
tion,  like  all  parties,  had  its  platform ;  and  among  the  many 
planks  in  it  was  one  advocating  the  introduction  into  the  place 
of  gin-shops,  bowling-alleys,  billiard-saloons  and  other  like 
places  of  amusement.  In  its  infancy  the  new  party  seemed  but 
a  speck  on  the  horizon ;  but  it  gained  strength  year  by  year,  un 
til  it  became  so  powerful  as  to  be  a  serious  thorn  in  the  flesh 
to  the  faction  in  power,  which  had  been  watching  its  growth 
with  no  little  uneasiness.  The  second  year  after  the  death  of 
my  parents,  the  Puritans  and  the  opposition  contested  the  bit 
terest  election  ever  held  in  Marietta — the  former,  as  usual,  being 
victorious.  The  feelings  of  both  parties  were  aroused  to  a  war 
footing,  though,  happily,  the  affair  passed  without  blood  having 
been  spilled.  Mr.  Scruggs  and  his  followers  now  became  satisfied 
that  nothing  short  of  the  total  extinction  of  the  firm  of  Giles  & 
Morris  would  sustain  them  in  power.  Accordingly,  one  night,  when 
no  moon  or  stars  mitigated  in  the  slightest  degree  the  Cimmerian 


PROFESSION.  25 

darkness,  and  scarcely  a  twinkling  light  was  to  be  seen  in  the 
quiet  little  town,  the  sheriff  and  about  twenty  men,  citizens  of 
the  place,  met  by  preconcerted  arrangement  at  his  house,  and 
proceeded  with  noiseless  steps  towards  the  building  occupied  by 
the  obnoxious  parties,  where  it  was  supposed  gambling  took 
place.  Mr.  Scruggs  accompanied  the  expedition,  in  order  to 
give  to  its  acts  the  sanction  of  lawful  authority.  The  party  halt 
ed  silently  at  the  door  at  the  rear  of  the  establishment,  which 
was  ordered  by  the  sheriff  to  be  opened.  Not  receiving  any  re 
sponse  to  his  summons,  he  burst  the  door  open,  with  the  assist 
ance  of  his  companions ;  when,  however,  they  attempted  to  enter, 
they  were  confronted  with  the  muzzles  of  seven  or  eight  double- 
barreled  guns,  which  had  such  an  effect  on  them,  that  their 
courage,  like  Bob  Acre's,  "  oozed  out  at  their  finger-ends,"  and 
from  which  they  turned  and  fled  incontinently. 

When  it  became  known,  on  the  following  day,  that  the  sheriff 
had  been  resisted  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty,  a  terrible  excite 
ment  stirred  the  town  to  its  depths ;  such  outlawry  was  unknown 
there,  and  an  indignation  meeting  was  called,  which  was  presid 
ed  over  by  the  Presbyterian  minister,  and  in  which  Scruggs  and 
his  colleagues,  in  stirring  speeches,  advocated  the  entire  annihi 
lation  of  the  firm  of  Giles  &  Morris,  and  everything  pertaining 
thereto.  His  proposal  was  carried  by  acclamation,  and  before 
time  had  been  allowed  for  matters  to  cool,  a  motley  throng  of 
more  than  two  hundred  people  were  moving  towards  the  prem 
ises  occupied  by  the  parties  concerned,  with  the  determination 
to  wipe  it  from  the  face  of  the  earth.  But  their  benovelent  pur 
pose  was  frustrated ;  for,  when  they  reached  the  place,  they  found 
over  forty  determined  men,  armed  with  rifles,  ready  to  protect  it  at 
any  cost.  This  unexpected  sight  cooled  their  ardor,  and  after  some 
muttering  and  threats,  they  abandoned  their  hostile  intentions 
and  dispersed.  ''Scruggs,  finding  himself  defeated  in  his  attempts 
to  break  the  law, 'fell  back  upon  it  to  consummate  his  revenge. 
Giles  and  as  many  as  twenty  of  his  associates  were  indicted  for 
sedition,  and  nearly  every  other  crime  in  the  statutes  of  the  State. 
But  the  determined  resistance  of  those  parties,  to  the  attacks 
on  them,  convinced  the  Puritans  that  it  was  no  use  to  push  mat 
ters,  unless  they  were  prepared  to  fight.  The  court  was  willing 
to  set  aside  the  indictments  brought  against  Giles  and  his  friends, 
and  to  entertain  the  opinion  that  they  had  some  rights  in  the 


26  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

community,  even  if  it  were  suspected  they  were  in  the  habit  of 
breaking  the  laws  by  participating  in  gambling.  After  all,  courts 
of  justice  are  composed  of  only  human  intelligences,  who  dispense 
justice  according  to  public  opinion,  instead  of  the  spirit  of  the  law. 
When,  a  few  years  before,  Giles  accused  the  sheriff  before  the  court 
with  having  forcibly  entered  his  premises  in  direct  violation  of 
the  law,  the  court  would  not  listen  to  him,  because  he  had  no 
power  in  the  community.  When  he  became  powerful  enough  to 
resist  the  encroachments  of  the  authorities,  the  eye  of  the  court 
was  open  to  conviction;  it  decided  that  the  sheriff  had  over 
stepped  his  authority  when  he  attempted  to  break  into  the  house 
of  a  private  citizen,  without  a  warrant  from  a  magistrate,  for  the 
purpose  of  arresting  suspected  gambling  parties.  This  decision 
freed  the  firm  of  Giles  &  Morris  from  the  forcible  visitations  of 
the  officers  of  the  law,  but  not  from  espionage.  Scruggs  was  ever 
on  the  alert  to  obtain  evidence  against  the  nightly  frequenters  of 
the  place,  but  his  attempts  were  generally  frustrated.  The  grand 
jury  sat  but  once  in  six  months.  Before  the  assembling  of  that 
august  body,  Giles  and  his  friends,  or  at  least  those  of  them  who 
had  any  fear  of  being  summoned,  would  generally  contrive  to  be 
absent  on  a  fishing  or  hunting  excursion,  and  not  return  until  the 
danger  was  past  Since  the  opposition  party  had  developed  its 
strength,  some  of  its  members  were  on  the  jury  at  each  session ; 
and  if  the  tales  were  true,  which  Giles  and  a  few  of  his  intimate 
friends  used  to  chuckle  over,  they  had  timely  warning  whenever 
a  grand  jury  was  disposed  to  be  •  troublesome.  There  were  men 
on  those  juries,  who  held  the  strange  idea  that  one's  first  duty 
was  to  protect  one's  friends,  and,  when  that  hung  in  the  balance, 
were  not  half  as  particular  about  the  secrets  which  hang  around 
the  august  proceedings  of  grand  juries,  as  was  Hamlet's  father 
about  those  of  his  "prison-house." 


TKB  CLUB.  27 

CHAPTER    IV. 

THE  CLUB. 

The  club,  which  assembled  nearly  every  night  at  the  tailor's 
shop,  numbered  about  fifteen,  and  was  composed  of  lawyers, 
doctors,  merchants,  farmers  and  mechanics.  Mr.  Giles  was  its 
presiding  officer,  and  no  person  could  gain  admittance  without 
the  concurrence  of  the  President,  and  at  least  six  of  its  members. 
No  spies  or  garrulous  persons  had  a  ghost  of  a  chance  of  entering 
the  doors  while  any  kind  of  gambling  was  going  on.  The  gamb 
ling  was  usually  confined  to  the  working  department;  when  this 
became  so  crowded  as  to  admit  no  more  tables,  the  store  was 
used.  The  two,  three  or  four  journeymen  constantly  employed 
by  Mr.  Giles,  and  who  were  also  members,  during  the  day 
worked  in  the  back  room,  and  if  a  press  of  business  protracted 
their  services  into  the  evening,  occupied  the  store. 

The  different  species  of  gambling  carried  on  at  this  club 
were  poker,  brag,  euchre,  all-fours,  whist,  "vingt-et-un,"  and 
"snaps"  at  faro.  For  use  in  the  latter  game,  Giles  had  provided 
an  old  sheet-iron  dealing-box,  and  about  two  hundred  large  horn 
buttons,  besides  a  piece  of  black  cloth  with  thirteen  cards  pasted 
on  it,  ranging  from  the  ace  to  the  king  for  a  lay-out.  The  entire 
profits  of  the  club  went  into  the  pockets  of  Giles,  and  was  a  very 
respectable  revenue.  Cards  for  playing  all  games  except  faro 
and  vingt-et-un  were  sold  to  the  players  at  twenty-five  cents  a 
pack,  thus  affording  a  clear  profit  of  fifteen  cents  on  every  pack 
sold.  At  poker,  a  check  was  deducted  from  the  pool,  for  the 
house,  whenever  threes  or  over  were  exposed,  and  at  brag 
whenever  a  fijll  was  exposed ;  let  the  check  be  one  cent  or  one 
dollar,  the  claims  of  the  house  were  always  the  same.  The  house 
claimed  ten  per  cent,  of  the  winnings  each  "snap"  at  faro,  and 
the  same  from  the  winnings  of  each  game  of  vingt-et-un.  Out  of 
this  revenue  the  house  was  expected  to  supply  its  guests  with  li 
quors  and  cigars,  but  when  lunches  were  desired  they  were  pro 
cured  from  the  "Old  Hickory  Tavern,"  at  the  expense  of  the  per 
son  or  persons  ordering.  During  the  hours  devoted  to  play, 
everything  was  done  in  a  quiet  and  orderly  manner.  In  fact,  they 
dared  not  do  otherwise.  The  fear  of  detection  and  conviction 


28  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

held  in  check  all  who  might  otherwise  have  been  disposed  to 
be  quarrelsome  over  their  losses.  Whenever  differences  of  opin 
ion  arose  regarding  points  of  play  or  other  matters  belonging  to 
the  game,  the  question  in  dispute  was  left  to  the  decision  of  any 
single  person  who  could  be  agreed  upon  by  both,  and  whose  de 
cision  was  final.  If  one  or  both  parties  were  unwilling,  as  was 
sometimes  the  case,  to  leave  the  vexed  question  to  the  decision 
of  a  single  person,  each  chose  a  referee,  whose  decisions  were 
considered  final,  provided  they  could  agree.  In  the  event  of 
their  disagreement,  the  referees  chose  an  umpire,  who  deter 
mined  the  matter.  But  this  last  method  of  settling  a  dispute 
was  seldom  required.  Giles,  being  the  high  authority  on  all 
subjects  in  dispute,  was  generally  appealed  to,  to  give  his  deci 
sion — a  duty  he  performed  with  the  utmost  willingness,  whether 
able  to  do  so  properly  or  not. 

The  principal  gatherings,  and  those  which  were  the  most 
lucrative  to  Giles,  took  place  on  Saturday  evenings,  when 
could  be  found  gathered  in  the  club-room  the  whole  sporting 
fraternity  of  Marietta  and  its  vicinity.  On  these  nights,  from 
four  to  five  tables  were  in  full  blast,  running  poker  and  brag 
games,  from  five  to  twenty -five  cent  ante,  while  snaps  at 
faro  and  vingt-et-n  >  would  be  also  going  forward.  The  hickory- 
bottomed  chairs  a.ud  pine  tables  used  for  the  games  were  con 
cealed  in  the  loft  overhead  during  the  day,  and  brought  out  at 
night,  as  they  were  wanted  for  use.  None  of  the  members  or 
visitors  to  this  club  could  be  ranked  even  as  third-rate  players. 
The  best  among  the  members  were  two  men  named  John  Clarke 
and  Eichard  Rathbon  respectively,  who  were  partners  in  a 
grocery  store,  as  well  as  in  their  gambling  operations.  To 
these  gentlemen  the  "club"  had  for  many  years  been  a  source 
of  profit.  They  did  not  cheat  their  adversaries  at  play,  for  the 
simple  reason  that  they  knew  nothing  about  the  method  of 
doing  so,  but  they  were  more  skillful  and  cautious  players  than 
any  others  belonging  to  the  club,  or  any  of  those  who  were  in 
the  habit  of  frequenting  it.  The  next  best  card-player,  after 
those  I  have  mentioned,  was  an  old  member  named  Hicks,  who 
was  the  owner  of  the  principal  blacksmithing  business  in  the 
place.  The  old  fellow  indulged  only  in  poker,  brag,  and  all- 
fours.  He  was  a  shrewd  and  cautious  player,  never  allowing 
himself  to  be  disturbed  by  his  losses,  and  for  many  years  had 


THE  CLUB.  29 

been  in  the  habit  of  visiting  the  club,  and  depending  on  it  as  a 
source  of  revenue.  The  three  individuals  named  had  been  the 
chief  winners  for  more  than  eight  years,  during  which  time  it 
had  yielded  them  a  rich  harvest.  The  most  unfortunate  mem 
ber  of  the  club  was  Jim  Willis,  the  ablest  lawyer  in  the  place, 
but  the  poorest  card-player.  He  was  the  best  producer  of 
money  that  frequented  the  place,  always  anxious  to  play  high, 
and  had  proven  himself  a  rich  placer  to  the  three  worthies  men 
tioned.  John  Travis,  the  landlord  of  the  "  Old  Tavern,"  was  a 
great  support  to  the  club,  from  the  fact  of  his  introducing  so 
many  of  his  guests  there,  but  he  was  careful  to  present  only 
those  for  whose  integrity  and  secrecy  he  could  vouch.  Though 
Travis  played  but  little  himself,  he  managed  to  pocket  a  portion 
of  the  spoils  by  taking  at  times  a  stated  interest  in  the  play  of 
Rathbon  or  Clarke,  and  occasionally  in  that  of  old  Hicks. 
Nearly  all  the  other  frequenters  of  the  place  knew  little  or  noth 
ing  about  cards,  and  made  their  visits  to  the  club  more  a  matter 
of  pleasure  than  gain.  "But  pleasures  are  like  poppies  spread," 
says  the  poet,  and  the  verdant  visitors  to  the  club  often  were 
able  to  echo  the  sentiment  to  their  cost,  and  found  they  had 
paid  exceedingly  "dear  for  the  whistle/'  as  frequently  happens 
to  visitors  to  all  such  places,  who  love  to  dabble  in  play  for  their 
own  amusement.  When  this  class  of  players  win,  a  little  satis 
fies  them.  When  unfortunate,  they  increase  their  stakes  in 
order  to  regain  their  losses,  and  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  leave  the 
table  penniless.  My  foster-father,  John  Giles,  was  the  most 
desperate  player  of  the  club,  and  comparatively  a  poor  one.  He 
either  won  everything  in  the  shape  of  money  there  was  to  win, 
or,  as  was  much  more  frequently  the  case,  lost  all  his  own.  But 
he  never  gambled  away  more  than  the  ready  cash  which  he  had 
on  hand.  As^I  made  myself  useful  to  the  customers  of  my 
foster-father  during  the  day,  I  soon  extended  my  services  into 
the  evening,  and  made  myself  useful  to  the  frequenters  of  that 
part  of  our  establishment  where  the  club  assembled  during  the 
night.  I  soon  made  myself  acquainted  with  the  duties  belonging 
to  this  department,  and  took  care  of  the  interests  of  my  foster- 
father,  according  to  the  best  of  my  knowledge  and  ability.  Noth 
ing  afforded  me  more  pleasure,  at  that  time,  than  to  watch  the 
gamblers  in  their  efforts  to  obtain  possession  of  each  other's 
money.  The  distance  between  observing  and  learning  that 


30  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

which  interests  us  strongly  is  but  short,  and  in  little  more  than 
a  year's  time  I  could  play  all  the  games  in  vogue  then,  more 
scientifically  than  any  member  of  the  club.  Many  of  them 
would  at  times  play  with  me  for  stakes — even  those  who  had 
sons  of  their  own  near  my  age.  But  I  had  grown  up  among 
their  amusements,  and  the  boy  was  forgotten  in  the  companion. 
So  I  played,  won  and  lost  my  money  with  them,  and  was  treated 
in  most  respects  as  their  equal.  I  was  different  from  most  boya 
of  my  age,  who  are  apt  to  abuse  a  familiar  intercourse  with  men ; 
I  did  not  seek  the  society  of  boys,  even  of  those  older  than  my^ 
self.  Those  persons  I  met  in  the  card-room  I  never  recognized 
on  the  street,  unless  first  accosted  by  them ;  I  was  attentive  and 
obliging  to  all,  and,  to  use  a  slang  poker-phrase,  I  never  "chip 
ped  in"  when  conversation  was  taking  place,  unless  it  was  quite 
proper  for  me  to  do  so,  and,  young  as  I  was,  I  gained  the  respect 
and  confidence  of  nearly  every  visitor  to  the  rooms. 


CHAPTER   V. 


Was  one  of  the  persons  introduced  to  the  club  by  John  Travis. 
He  was  commander  and  part  owner  of  the  steamboat  "  States 
man,"  then  making  weekly  trips  between  the  ports  of  Marietta 
and  Cincinnati.  Every  Saturday  night  found  her  at  the  former 
town,  where  she  remained  until  the  Monday  morning  following, 
when  she  started  again  for  Cincinnati.  Capt.  Smith  was  about 
forty  years  old,  tall  and  thin,  with  stooping  shoulders,  lank 
black  hair,  which  hung  in  long  elf-locks  about  his  ears,  dark, 
piercing  eyes,  a  hooked  nose,  and  a  very  sallow  complexion. 
Neither  moustache  nor  whiskers  adorned  his  moody  coun 
tenance,  and  his  gait  was  slouching  and  ungainly.  His  foppish 
style  of  dress  added  to  his  ungraceful  appearance.  A  long 
swallow-tail  coat,  of  fine  black  cloth,  with  pantaloons  of  the 
same  material,  a  red  velvet  vest,  a  ruffled  shirt  with  a 
high  standing  collar,  and  shiny  stove-pipe  hat,  completed 
his  attire.  A  large  cluster-pin  and  four  diamond  studs 
adorned  the  bosom  of  his  shirt,  and  around  his  neck  was  fes 
tooned  an  immense  gold  chain,  while  from  his  fob  depended 


CAPTAIN  WILLIAM  SMITH.  31 

another,  to  which  was  attached  several  large  seals  He  was  a 
man  of  but  few  words,  which,  by  the  bye,  were  straight  to  the 
purpose,  and  drawled  them  out  in  a  low,  measured  tone.  The 
Captain,  on  being  introduced  to  the  club,  said  he  never  played 
any  game  at  cards,  except  poker,  and  that  only  for  amusement. 
His  appearance  created  quite  a  sensation,  and  Clarke,  Rathbon, 
and  even  Hicks  and  Giles  expected  to  get  some  fine  pickings 
from  him.  Of  course  they  had  but  one  night  in  the  week  to 
work  him.  On  the  night  of  his  introduction  they  managed  to 
get  about  eighty  dollars  out  of  him ;  but  on  the  seven  succeed 
ing  Saturday  nights  he  did  not  once  fail  to  rise  from  the  table  a 
considerable  winner.  The  ante  was  at  first  only  ten  cents,  which 
was  gradually  raised  to  twenty-five,  and  could  some  of  the  party, 
more  especially  Clarke  and  Rathbon,  have  had  their  desire, 
would  have  been  raised  to  a  dollar.  But  the  Captain,  strange 
to  say,  was  a  timid  player,  and  refused  repeatedly  to  have  the 
ante  raised  higher  than  twenty-five  cents.  From  such  games 
as  these,  he  won,  night  after  night,  sums  varying  from  twenty- 
five  to  fifty  dollars.  Of  course  the  boys  thought  him  a  very 
lucky  customer,  but  his  success,  instead  of  discouraging  them, 
only  made  them  more  anxious  for  his  game,  and  impatient  of 
their  time,  until  Saturday  night  brought  the  "  Statesman "  in 
to  her  well-known  place  at  the  wharf  of  Marietta. 

The  Captain,  while  seated  at  play,  was  always  very  uneasy 
lest  his  cards  should  be  seen  by  the  bystanders.  He  allowed  no 
one  to  sit  or  stand  behind  him,  and,  after  his  first  sitting,  so 
placed  his  chair  that  no  one  by  any  possibility  could  overlook 
his  hand,  viz.:  by  sitting  close  in  the  corner  and  drawing  the 
table  to  him.  His  behavior,  strange  to  the  members  of  the 
club — for  all  were  accustomed  to  expose  their  cards  freely  to  the 
bystanders — created  no  little  speculation.  The  Captain  became 
aware  of  this,  and  tried  to  explain  his  mistrustful  manners, 
while  at  play,  by  saying  that  he  was  nervous,  and  that  it  annoy 
ed  him  if  any  person  looked  over  his  shoulder  at  the  face  of  his 
cards,  before  he  exposed  them  on  the  table.  Had  the  members 
of  the  club  been  professional  gamblers,  they  would  have  con 
cluded  at  once,  from  his  actions,  that  his  cards  had  been 
"itemed,"  but  they  were  not  even  aware  of  the  existence  of 
such  frauds.  Such  rascally  tricks  as  "iteming"  the  hands  of 
players  were  unknown  at  the  rooms  of  our  club.  Whatever  re- 


32  WA2TDEKINGS  OF  A  YAGABOND. 

marks  his  opponents  might  make  at  the  table,  in  regard  to  his 
playing,  the  Captain  heeded  them  not.  He  was  cold  as  an  icicle. 
His  whole  attention  was  concentrated  on  the  game.  He  was 
never  elated  at  his  gains,  or  showed  the  slightest  signs  of  anger 
or  depression  at  his  losses.  He  was  a  very  indifferent  player  at 
poker ;  so  much  so,  that  the  poorest  player  among  his  adversa 
ries  was  more  than  his  match.  Yet  he  was  almost  constantly  a 
winner ! 

I  had  formed  a  dislike  to  the  Captain  the  first  night  he  made 
his  appearance  at  the  rooms,  which  was  not  at  all  mitigated  by 
his  insulting  me.  On  that  evening,  after  he  had  taken  his  seat 
at  the  poker  table,  I  stood  behind  his  chair,  from  whence  I 
watched  his  cards  as  he  lifted  them  from  the  table.  As  soon  as 
he  discovered  my  presence,  he  ordered  me  away  in  a  surly  tone, 
and  remarked  that  I  was  too  young  to  be  hanging  round  a  gam 
ing  table.  His  remark  was  certainly  a  very  true  one,  but  it 
stung  my  pride,  and  made  me  his  enemy.  The  more  I  saw  of 
the  Captain,  the  more  I  disliked  him,  though  he  never  gave  me 
any  cause,  after  the  night  of  our  first  meeting,  except  to  treat 
me  with  the  utmost  indifference,  and  utterly  ignore  my  exist 
ence,  while  every  one  else  in  the  room  were  treating  me  as 
their  equal.  I  had  formed,  from  my  many  opportunities,  a  pretty 
good  notion  of  pi  ij ,  and  could  at  once  perceive  when  players 
made  bad,  or  foolish,  or  unusual  plays.  I  was  as  proficient  in 
this  respect,  at  poker,  or  brag,  as  at  any  other  of  the  short  card 
games.  The  Captain's  actions  and  manner  of  playing  had  on 
several  occasions  attracted,  from  me,  more  than  usual  notice. 
I  observed  that  he  played  very  badly,  often  making  ill-timed 
bluffs,  and  that  he  was  most  successful  in  winning  pools  on  nis 
own  deal ;  that  he  then  bet  more  heavily,  and  that  when  his 
hands  were  called,  he  would  show  down  on  the  table  threes  of  a 
denomination  that  he  had  exposed  on  the  hand  which  had  been 
called  previously.  I  had  seen  this  done  as  many  as  three  times 
consecutively.  I  noticed,  after  some  close  watching,  that  he 
placed  his  cards  at  the  bottom  of  the  pack,  when  he  shuffled  for 
a  new  deal,  and  that  he  never  disturbed  these  cards  in  the 
shuffle.  All  this  made  me  suspect  that  the  Captain  had  some 
how  the  best  of  his  adversaries.  But  how?  was  the  question. 
It  was  beyond  my  comprehension.  With  all  my  boasted  know 
ledge,  I  was  at  a  loss  to  understand  how  he  procured  so  many 


CAPTAIN  WILLIAM  SMITH.  33 

large  hands,  when  he  dealt  the  cards.  I  mentioned  my  sus 
picions  to  Mr.  Giles,  and  was  told  in  return  that  I  was  a  fool ! 
which  indignity  only  spurred  me  on  the  more  to  unravel  the 
mystery.  Could  I  only  get  a  sight  of  his  cards,  I  said  to  myself, 
the  riddle  would  perhaps  be  solved.  Such  was  the  brilliant 
idea  which  flashed  through  my  troubled  brain,  after  cogitating 
for  many  days  over  the  manner  in  which  the  Captain  managed 
his  game  of  poker. 

To  see  his  cards  without  his  knowledge,  or  that  of  any  one 
else,  myself  excepted,  I  hit  upon  the  following  plan :  I  bored  a 
hole  through  one  of  the  weather-boards  of  the  house,  in  the  cor 
ner  where  the  Captain  usually  sat  while  playing,  in  a  position 
where  I  could  get  a  plain  view  of  his  cards.  This  I  finished  two 
days  before  the  arrival  of  the  "  Statesman"  in  port,  days  which 
seemed  to  me  weeks,  so  anxious  was  I  to  put  my  plan  to  the  test. 
At  last  the  eventful  evening  arrived,  and  with  it  the  Captain. 
The  game  was  made  up  of  Giles,  Rathbon,  Willis,  Hicks,  and  the 
Captain.  The  game  was  full-deck  poker,  the  winner  of  the 
pool  always  dealing.  (I  mention  this  because  twenty-deck  poker 
was  a  very  favorite  game  also,  at  that  period,  throughout  the 
country ;  that  is,  to  discard  from  the  pack  all  the  cards  in  the 
pack,  except  the  kings,  queens,  aces,  jacks,  and  tens.  But  when 
a  game  was  made  up  of  more  than  four  players,  the  full  pack 
was  used.  These  games  have  long  since  fallen  into  disuse,  and 
have  been  superseded  by  the  popular  game  of  draw  poker.)  The 
party  each  put  twenty-five  cents  in  the  pool,  none  of  them 
showing  more  than  fifty  dollars  on  the  table.  When  the  game 
was  fairly  under  way,  I  left  the  room  quietly  and  unnoticed, 
went  to  my  place  of  espial,  and  silently  withdrew  the  peg  I  had 
inserted,  to  prevent  discovery.  As  I  expected,  my  position  was 
a  favorable  jjne.  The  Captain's  cards,  as  he  held  them 
spread  out  la  his  hand,  were  as  plainly  visible  as  if  I  myself 
held  them.  For  the  space  of  an  hour  he  held  no  pairs 
among  his  cards,  which  would  win  him  a  pool,  and  made 
several  attempts  on  small  ones,  by  making  ill-timed  bluffs,  to 
win  one,  but  was  caught,  and  obliged  to  pay  the  penalty.  In 
this  luck  he  played  until  his  stake  had  vanished,  when  he 
renewed  it  with  fifty  dollars  more.  Mr.  Giles  had  his  feathers 
up,  and  every  bluff  the  Captain  made  he  called  him  out  or  run 
over  him  and  forced  him  to  lay  down  his  hand.  He  was  using  the 


34  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

entire  party  pretty  roughly,  but  the  Captain  showed  the  same 
imperturbable  indifference  as  he  was  wont  to  show  on  former 
occasions  when  he  was  a  winner.  At  the  card-table,  he 
was  a  worthy  disciple  of  Zeno.  Finally,  he  picked  up  a  pair 
of  aces,  and  with  them  won  the  first  pool  he  had  won  since 
the  play  begun.  These  aces  he  placed  together  at  the  bot 
tom  of  the  pack.  When  he  had  dealt  the  cards,  and  picked  up 
his  hand,  I  discovered'in  it  the  identical  aces  which  he  had  held 
before.  He  bet  two  dollars  for  the  pool.  Hicks  called  him,  on  a 
pair  of  queens,  and  lost.  I  saw  the  Captain  again  place  his 
aces  in  the  same  position  he  had  before  done,  and  also  his 
hand,  at  the  bottom  of  the  pack.  My  position  would  not 
permit  me  to  see  in  what  manner  he  shuffled  the  pack. 
Again  he  dealt,  and  when  he  once  more  lifted  his  cards,  the 
aces  made  their  third  appearance.  With  these  he  won  the 
pool,  Giles  being  the  sufferer  in  this  instance,  having  called  him 
on  a  smaller  pair.  When  he  showed  down  his  aces,  Giles  re 
marked,  throwing  his  cards  face  upwards  on  the  table,  "You 
couldn't  hold  four  aces,  Captain,  for  there's  the  ace  of  spades/' 
(pointing  at  the  same  time  to  that  card  among  his  own). 

"That's  so,"  said  the  Captain,  taking  up  the  cards  which 
Giles  had  thrown  upon  the  table,  and,  placing  the  ace  of  spades 
between  his  two.  placed  the  three  aces  at  the  bottom  of  the 
pack.  When  he  had  shuffled  his  cards,  the  portion  cut  off  by 
his  right-hand  adversary  he  left  on  the  table  and  dealt  from  the 
other  portion  of  the  pack.  When  he  again  raised  his  cards,  I 
discovered  all  three  of  the  aces  in  his  hand,  to  wit,  the  two  he 
first  held,  and  the  ace  of  spades.  Willis  bet  three  dollars  for  the 
pool.  The  Captain  bet  him  ten  more.  Willis  then  threw  up  his 
hand,  and  the  Captain  raked  down  the  money  without  showing 
his  cards.  When  he  again  lifted  his  hand,  after  dealing,  my  old 
friends,  the  aces,  made  another  appearance.  This  time  Hicks 
lost,  having  bet  two  dollars  for  the  pool,  the  Captain  betting  ten 
more,  and  being  called  by  Hicks.  Again  was  the  same  operation 
repeated,  the  brag  was  passed  up  to  him,  he  bet  again  ten  dol 
lars.  Rathbon  called  him,  and  discovered,  to  his  chagrin,  the 
three  aces. 

"What!"  cried  Giles,  "three  aces  again?  You  must  have 
charmed  them,  they  stick  so  close  to  you ! " 

"They're  good  to  hold  in  a  tight  place,"  said  the  Captain,  in 
his  cold,  drawling  manner,. 


CAPTAIN  WILLIAM  SMITH.  35 

The  cards  were  again  dealt;  the  Captain's  cards  showing 
three  aces.  The  brag  being  passed  up  to  him,  he  bet  five  dol 
lars.  Giles  called  him.  "  Show  your  papers,  Cap,"  said  Giles,  see 
ing  him  hesitate.  "  As  I  cannot  show  anything  worth  seeiag, 
I'll  let  you  take  the  money,  Mr.  Giles,"  said  the  Captain,  care 
fully  putting  his  cards  in  the  pack  and  shuffling  them  before  he 
passed  it  over  to  Giles.  The  remark  of  Giles  about  the  aces  had 
given  him  a  healthy  scare,  and  before  he  would  risk  arousing 
suspicion,  by  showing  them  again,  though  such  an  event  was 
hardly  probable,  he  preferred  to  lose  his  money.  I  remained  in 
my  old  position  until  I  had  seen  him  exercise  on  his  adversai'ies 
three  queens  and  subsequently  three  eights,  manipulating  them 
in  the  same  manner  as  the  three  aces,  when  I  replaced  my  plug 
and  entered  the  club-room.  Taking  a  seat  in  front  of  the  Cap 
tain,  in  order  that  I  might  watch  him  closely,  I  was  but  a  short 
time  in  solving  the  mystery  of  the  three  aces,  the  three  queens, 
and  the  three  eights ;  they  were  placed  at  the  bottom  of  the  pack, 
and  not  disturbed  in  the  shuffle.  The  cards  being  dealt  round, 
one  to  each,  until  the  dealer  comes  to  himself,  rapid  as  thought 
he  deals  one  to  himself  from  the  bottom  instead  of  the  top  of  the 
pack.  This  trick  is  now  so  old,  that  the  most  verdant  fools  re 
fuse  to  submit  to  it ;  but  for  several  years  after  it  was  introduced, 
many  of  the  shrewdest  gamblers  in  the  country  were  victimized 
by  it.  Any  person  by  practice  can  learn  to  deal  from  the  bot 
tom,  but  very  few  can  become  skillful  enough  to  impose  it  on  a 
party  of  players,  without  being  detected.  Like  billiard  players, 
they  can  obtain  a  certain  speed,  and  no  amount  of  practice  can 
make  them  more  perfect.  I  have  seen  many  skillful  "bottom 
dealers,"  but  none  who  could  equal  Captain  Smith.  If  his  own 
statement  was  correct,  he  never  had  any  instruction  in  it,  and  the 
principle  of  it  jmanated  from  his  own  brain;  that  is,  he  devised 
it  himself,  although  the  trick  had  been  known  to  a  few  sharpers 
some  years  before. 

The  game  continued  until  about  four  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
when  it  was  broken  up  by  Captain  Smith  leaving  the  table,  a 
loser  for  the  first  time  since  the  night  he  joined  the  club.  Even 
his  advantage  over  his  adversaries  could  not  save  him,  and  he 
left  the  table,  a  loser  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  dollars.  Giles 
was  the  only  winner,  and,  as  is  usual  in  such  cases,  was  extreme 
ly  happy — a  state  that  owed  something  to  the  large  number  of 


36  -WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGAB02TD. 

whiskey  toddies  of  which  he  had  partaken  during  the  evening. 
On  our  way  home  he  held  forth  at  great  length  on  his  superior 
excellence  as  a  poker-player.  "Didn't  I  tell  yer,  Jack,  that 
the  Captain  was  a  flat  ?  Hed  a  heap  of  luck,  had  the  Cap 
tain,  but  I  knew,  if  ever  the  luck  broke,  I'd  make  a  fool  of  him. 
Eh,  Jack?  Let  him  keep  on  playing ;  you'll  see  if  I  don't 
fetch  him  from  his  roost.  Eh,  Jack  ?  Ain't  that  so  ?" 
"  Yes,  sir,  I  expect  so,"  I  replied,  carelessly. 
"  No,  you  don't  expect  anything  of  the  kind ;  you're  a  fool, 
I  know^you  are !  Didn't  you  tell  me  the  Cap.  was  cheating  us  I 
Ha!  ha!  ha!  ha!  That's  rich!  -Why  didn't  he  cheat  to 
night?  Didn't  I  make  him  squirm?  When  I  beat  that  ace 
full  for  him  I  captured  sixty  good  bucks  from  him  on  that 
hand.  They  may  play  their  cursed  nigger-luck  on  me  for 
a  while,  but  111  bring  'em,  whenever  the  papers  breaks  even, 
and  every  one  of  them  fellers  too !  If  they  get  ahead  of  Giles, 
I'll  agree  to  root  for  acorns  the  rest  of  my  life,"  etc.,  etc. 

I  allowed  Mr.  Giles  to  have  all  the  conversation  to  himself, 
until  we  reached  the  house,  when'I  turned  him  over  to  the  care 
of  my  foster  mother,  and  retired  to  my  chamber  j  but  it  was 
long  after  daylight  before  I  fell  asleep.  The  discovery  I  had 
made  drove  away  slumber.  What  should  I  do — expose  the  trick  ? 
Hatred  urged  me  to  expose  the  Captain.  "  Expose  him !"  also 
cried  vanity.  "Expose  him,  and  receive  the  praises  of  your  elders 
who  had  not  brains  enough  to  discover  they  were  being  fleeced 
by  this  man."  "Pshaw!  there's  no  money  in  exposure,"  said 
prudence;  "don't  be  a  fool ;  put  money  in  thy  purse.  Ha !  did 
not  that  prince  of  villains,  lago,  say  so  ?  And  is  he  not  high 
authority  on  the  subject  ?  Who  refuses  to  follow  his  sage  and 
moral  teachings  ?  Does  your  meek  minister  of  the  gospel,  your 
blatant  moralist,  or  your  astute  lawmaker,  or  your  ermined  dis 
penser  of  justice  ?  By  no  means  !  Does  not  each  and  all  look 
out  to  take  precious  good  care  of  number  one,  and  feather  his 
own  nest  particularly  well  ?  If  the  Captain's  secret  could  be 
made  beneficial  to  me,  why  should  I  expose  it  I  Why  should 
I  give  it  away  to  others  ?  No  I  no !  Captain,  my  boy,  111  not 
expose  you,  but  I'll  try  and  make  some  money  out  of  you." 


DIPLOMACY.  37 

CHAPTER  VI. 

DIPLOMACY. 

About  seven  in  the  evening  I  repaired  to  the  wharf,  to  meet 
the  Captain,  on  his  way  up  from  his  boat  to  the  tailors'  shop. 
My  watch  was  longer  than  I  expected,  and  gave  me  ample 
opportunity  to  collect  myself  for  the  interview.  For  the  deli 
cate  piece  of  diplomacy,  in  which  I  was  about  to  launch,  I  had 
had  a  full  week  to  deliberate  and  arrange  my  plans.  I  had 
already  settled  Giles;  that  is,  I  had  placed  him  in  such  a  position 
as  disabled  him,  at  least  for  the  present,  from  playing  any  more 
poker.  That  he  would  not  borrow  money  for  that  purpose  I 
knew,  and  consequently  felt  secure,  as  far  as  he  was  concerned, 
for  a  time  at  least.  After  his  last  game  he  had  in  ready  money 
a  little  over  six  hundred  dollars,  and  was,  I  knew,  indebted  to 
his  cloth-merchant,  Mr.  Campbell,  eleven  hundred  for  goods.  I 
urged  him  to  pay  over  what  ready  money  he  had,  towards  the 
debt.  "  No,"  he  replied ;  "  I  never  make  half-way  payments." 
"  But  you  may  lose  your  money,  and  the  cloth  bill  is  really  get 
ting  too  large.  Pay  in  what  money  you  have,  before  you  lose  it, 
Mr.  Giles,"  I  remonstrated,  but  all  to  no  purpose.  "  I  shan't 
do  it,"  he  tartly  replied;  "I  am  going  to  win  a  pile  with  this 
money  I've  got ;  you  see  if  I  don't,  Jack,"  he  cried,  shaking  his 
head  and  mumbling  on  at  me  as  if  desirous  of  effacing  any  un 
pleasant  impression. 

Seeing  that  further  attempts  in  this  quarter  would  be  useless, 
I  changed  my  tactics  by  calling  on  Mr.  Campbell,  whom  I  re 
quested  to  dun  Giles  for  seven  hundred  dollars,  explaining  that 
he  had  nearlythat  amount  on  hand,  and  being  in  one  of  his 
spreeing  moods,  was  likely  to  squander  it.  I  told  him  that  my 
only  object  was  to  save  Giles,  and  requested  that  my  visit  might 
be  kept  a  profound  secret  from  him,  as  he  would  be  very  angry 
should  he  find  I  had  been  meddling  with  his  affairs.  Mr.  Camp 
bell,  who  had  been  for  many  years  the  warmest  friend  Giles  had 
in  the  place,  and  who  had  never  once,  during  the  long  period  of 
their  business  relations,  sent  a  bill  to  him,  but  allowed  him  al 
ways  to  settle  his  accounts  with  him  at  his  own  convenience, 
promised  all  I  asked,  and  sympathized  with  my  efforts  to  prevent 

215953 


38  •WAXDERIXGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

Giles  from  squandering  his  money.  That  same  day  he  called 
upon  Giles  and  presented  his  bill  in  full,  on  the  plea  that  his 
merchants  in  Baltimore  were  pushing  him  for  money,  and 
begged  Giles  to  pay  what  he  could  on  account,  if  unable  to  meet 
the  full  amount.  Such  an  appeal  from  this  quarter  was  more 
than  Giles  could  resist,  and  he  immediately  handed  over  six 
hundred  and  forty  dollars,  which  was  all  he  had,  and  told  Mr. 
Campbell  that  he  would  borrow  the  balance  for  him  immediate 
ly.  Mr.  Campbell  insisted  that  the  amount  he  had  received  was 
sufficient  for  his  present  wants,  and  the  two  parted  the  best  of 
friends ;  Giles,  to  my  great  satisfaction,  being  left  without  a  dol 
lar  in  ready  cash.  My  first  effort  in  diplomacy  having  proved  so 
successful,  I  was  now  waiting  on  the  wharf  to  put  my  second  in 
execution. 

It  was  a  beautiful  evening  in  the  beginning  of  April.  No 
signs  of  life  were  visible  on  the  levee,  save  the  few  lights  that 
twinkled  aboard  the  "Statesman,"  the  only  steamer  at  the 
wharf.  The  absence  of  drays,  carts,  and  toiling  men  and 
brutes,  told  that  the  week's  labor  was  ended  on  the  wharf  of 
Marietta.  The  clock  on  the  court-house  was  just  striking  eight 
as  I  discerned  the  Captain  crossing  the  gangway-plank  of  the 
Statesman.  He  walked  slowly  up  the  levee,  with  his  eyes  bent 
on  the  cobble-stoves,  as  if  he  was  afraid  to  lift  them  to  the 
bright  and  tranquil  moon  which  shone  above  him.  Whatever 
may  have  been  the  subject  of  his  thoughts,  he  was  so  deeply 
plunged  into  meditation  that  he  did  not  hear  my  approach,  al 
though  I  tried  to  call  his  attention  by  clearing  my  throat  loudly, 
and  beating  the  cobble-stones  with  my  feet.  "A  pleasant  even 
ing,  Captain ! "  I  said  at  last,  when  he  was  within  a  few  feet  of 
me.  The  unexpected  sound  of  my  voice  startled  him  so  much 
that  he  made  a  motion  to  run  away ;  but  quickly  recovering 
himself,  and  ashamed,  probably,  of  being  detected  in  showing 
fear,  demanded  in  a  harsh,  angry  voice,  without  noticing  my  sal 
utation,  "What  are  you  doin'  thar?" 

"Waiting  to  see  you,  Captain,"  I  replied. 

"Well !  yer  see  me,  don't  yer?  What  in  h— 11  d'  yerwantf " 

"Don't  speak  so  confounded  cross,  Captain,  I  am  not  going  to 
hurt  you,"  I  answered. 

"No  impudence,  youngster,  but  tell  yer  business,  if  yer've  got 
any,  and  be  quick  about  it  too." 


DIPLOMACY.  39 

"Very  well,  sir,  I'll  do  so;  I  want  to  go  halves  with  you  in 
your  poker  games;  here's  my  part  for  the  stakes,"  I  replied, 
holding  towards  him,  with  my  left  hand,  a  roll  of  bank-bills. 

He  stood  gazing  at  me  in  speechless  astonishment  and  anger 
for  some  moments,  then  hissed  from  between  his  closed  teeth, 
"You  want  to  go  halves  with  me  in  playing  poker,  eh?" 

"That's  the  business  which  brought  me  here  to  night,"  I 
coolly  replied. 

He  stared  so  fiercely  at  me  with  his  little  black  eyes  sparkling 
with  anger,  that  for  a  moment  I  imagined  they  were  going  to 
pop  out  of  his  head  and  shoot  me ;  I  stood  my  ground,  however. 

"It  is,  is  it?"  he  finally  ejaculated,  still  eyeing  me  from  head 
to  foot. 

"Nothing  more  or  less,  Captain,"  I  rejoined. 

"Why,  you  d — d  dirty  cub,  I'll  whip  the  life  out  of  you." 

"I  reckon  not,  Captain,"  I  rejoined,  in  the  same  cool  and 
tantalizing  tone. 

He  made  a  spring  for  me,  but  I  was  expecting  it,  and  jumped 
nimbly  out  of  his  reach.  Being  foiled  in  his  efforts  to  get  hold 
of  me  seemed  to  madden  him.  He  again  started  for  me.  But  I 
had  too  much  speed  for  his  bottom,  and  could  have  easily  left 
him  far  behind,  had  such  been  my  object.  I  allowed  him  to  pur 
sue  me  to  the  top  of  the  levee,  about  fifty  feet  from  where  we 
first  met,  then  turned  and  faced  him.  On  he  came,  fully  bent 
on  doing  me  a  mischief  if  I  fell  into  his  hands — a  thing  I  was  fully 
prepared  to  prevent.  I  drew  from  beneath  the  bosom  of  my  coat, 
a  large  dragoon  pistol,  cocked  it,  and  presented  the  muzzle  to 
ward  his  head,  when  within  a  few  feet  of  me.  "  Stop,  or  I'll 
fire,"  I  cried,  in  a  determined  voice. 

The  cockiqg  of  a  pistol  jars  harshly  on  the  ears  of  a  foe. 
The  unexpected  sound,  together  with  the  flashing  of  the  barrel 
in  the  bright  moonlight,  had  a  terrible  effect  on  the  Captain. 
My  admonition  was  useless.  The  fight  was  completely  knocked 
out  of  him ;  he  placed  both  arms  before  his  face,  as  if  to  ward  off 
the  expected  bullet,  and  stooped  at  the  same  time,  as  if  to  dodge 
it.  Baffled  and  cowed,  he  stammered,  "Don't  kill  me,  Jack,  I 
didn't  mean  any  harm." 

"You  did,  you  ruffian!  You  did,"  I  almost  shouted,  for  my 
blood  was  up. 

"Ton  honor,  Jack,  I  was  only  in  fun;  indeed  I  was  !   Now  put 


40  VAXDERI^GS  OF  A   VAGABOND. 

up  that  pistol,  Jack,  that's  a  good  soul;  it  might  go  off  accident 
ally,  and  you'd  be  sorry.  Do  put  it  up,  Jack." 

"  No,  I  shouldn't  be  sorry  for  it,  either.  You'd  whip  the  life 
out  of  me,  would  you?  I've  a  good  notion  to  send  a  bullet 
through  your  cowardly  brains  1 " 

"Don't,  Jack;  I  meant  you  no  harm;  I  tell  you  'twas  only  a 
joke  ;  do  take  away  that  pistol,"  he  cried,  imploringly. 

"I  will,  on  condition  that  you  listen  quietly  to  whatever  I  have 
to  say  to  you." 

"I'll  do  anything  you  want  me  to,  Jack,  if  you'll  put  up  that 
shootin'-iron :  it  might  go  off  accidentally !" 

"No,  it  shan't  go  off  accidentally  nor  intentionally,  if  you  keep 
your  hands  off  me,  and  listen  quietly,"  I  answered,  lowering  the 
pistol,  but  holding  it  cocked  in  my  hand,  as  security  for  his  good 
behavior.  "  Now,  Captain,  we'll  resume  business  if  you  please, 
without  any  more  angry  words." 

"  Yes,  well,  what  is  it  you  want  ?"  he  hurriedly  asked,  still 
trembling  from  the  effects  of  his  scare. 

"Listen,  and  I'll  tell  you  in  a  very  few  words." 

"  Go  on." 

"I  want  an  interest  with  you  in  your  poker-playing  at  the 
tailor-shop !" 

"  And  what  if  I  refuse  ?" 

"  Then  you  shan't  play  there  anymore." 

"  Why  not  ?    Who'll  prevent  me  ?" 

"I  will." 

"How?" 

"  By  exposing  to  the  whole  party  the  trick  by  which  you  have 
been  packing  off  their  money." 

"I  don't  understand  what  you  mean,  Jack ;  it's  all  Greek  tome." 

"  If  you  don't,  it's  because  you  don't  want  to  understand,"  I 
replied;  "  but  I  shan't  have  any  difficulty  in  making  those  people 
understand  me,  when  I  explain  to  them  how  you've  been  robbing 
them,  by  dealing  from  the  bottom  of  the  pack." 

The  accusation  knocked  him  speechless.  When  he  recovered 
the  use  of  his  tongue,  he  stammered  out, "  Why,  J-J-J-ack,  you're 
crazy !" 

"Am  I?"  I  asked,  calmly.  "Let's  see  if  I  am?  I've  been 
watching  you  for  the  last  month,  fully  satisfied  that  you  were 
cheating,  but  was  unable  to  detect  how  until  last  Saturday  night, 


DIPLOMACY.  41 

when  I  bored  a  hole  in  the  house  immediately  behind  you,  so 
that  I  could  see  the  cards  in  your  hand  as  plainly  as  you  could 
yourself.  In  the  first  place,  Captain,  I'll  recall  to  your  memory 
the  first  pair  of  aces  you  held  during  the  play ;  with  them  you  won 
the  '  pot.'  Giles  exposed  to  you  the  ace  of  spades  which  you 
took,  and  put  with  your  two  aces.  When  you  next  dealt  the  cards, 
you  held  three  aces,  and  you  held  the  same  three  aces  four  times 
in  succession.  The  last  time  you  bunched  them  in  the  deck, 
after  being  called  for  a  five  dollar  brag,  because  you  were  afraid 
to  show  them  to  the  board  again.  Rather  a  bad  piece  of  man 
agement  on  your  part,  Captain,  to  deal  yourself  cards  on  which 
remarks  had  already  been  passed,  on  account  of  your  holding 
them  so  often,  and  then  throw  away  five  dollars  on  them,  because 
you  had  not  the  courage  to  show  them.  Eather  bad  manage 
ment  that,  Captain." 

"Indeed!"  sneered  the  Captain. 

"  Yes,"  I  replied  in  the  same  cool  tone ;  "I  should  not  have  dealt 
myself  four  aces  the  third  time,  and  bet  on  them,  unless  I  had 
sufficient  confidence  to  show  them  to  the  board  when  my  hand 
was  called." 

"  What  would  you  have  done  in  such  a  case?"  he  sneeringly 
asked. 

"Why,  when  Giles  made  the  remark  about  your  holding  aces 
so  often,  I  should  have  bunched  them  and  waited  until  I  had  got 
some  other  kind  of  threes,  and  worked  them  on  the  party  for  a 
while,  as  you  did  the  three  queens,  and  afterwards  the  three 
eights." 

When  I  had  finished  he  neither  moved  nor  spoke  for  several 
moments.  Air  last  he  tried  to  force  himself  into  action  with  an 
affected  laugh,  which,  in  sound,  bore  more  resemblance  to  the 
bark  of  a  dog  than  anything  else.  However,  it  acted  the  part  of 
opening  chorus,  and  gave  him  time  to  regain  in  a  measure  his 
scattered  senses. 

"  A  nice  cock-and-bull  story  !  So  they  made  you  a  spy  on  me, 
eh  ?  A  fine  den  of  thieves  I've  got  into !  I  suppose  they  sent  you 
here  to  assassinate  me  too,  eh  ?" 

"  You've  lost  no  money  in  the  den  of  thieves,  as  you  call  it,  and 
in  whatever  robbery  has  taken  place  there,  you  yourself  have  acted 
the  part  of  robber ;  but  if  you  carry  off  any  more  plunder  from 
there,  you'll  have  to  divide  equally  with  me.  If  I  assumed  the 


42  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

character  of  a  spy  upon  your  actions,  it  was  at  the  suggestion  of 
no  other  person,  but  for  the  direct  object  of  getting  a  share  in 
the  spoils,  and  I  am  too  greedy  to  have  any  partner  in  the  busi 
ness  except  yourself;  so  the  quicker  we  come   to  a  friendly 
understanding  the  better." 

"You  say  that  you've  told  no  one  of  this  nonsensical  suspicion 
of  yours  ?" 

"Not  a  soul!" 

"What,  not  even  to  Giles!"  x 

"  No,  not  even  to  Giles  1" 

"  That's  wonderful  I" 

"Why?" 

"  Why  ?  Because  it  was  your  duty  to  tell  him !". 

"  Perhaps;  but  I  want  to  make  money,  and  had  I  told  Giles 
I  could  not  have  done  so  !" 

"Why  not?" 

"  Because  Giles  is  too  honest  a  man  to  suffer  his  friends  to  be 
robbed  if  he  knows  it.  Had  I  told  him  of  this  matter,  the  whole 
country  would  have  known  it  within  an  hour." 

"Well,  my  boy,  I'm  glad  you've  been  so  sensible!  If  you'd  told 
this  foolish  story  to  them  fellows  at  the  tailor's  shop,  it  might 
have  caused  some  mischief." 

"  I'm  perfectly  aware  of  it,  Captain." 

"Very  well,  Jack,"  he  said,  in  a  half-coaxing  voice;  "'I've  no 
doubt  you  believe  every  word  you've  told  me,  but  you're  wrong ; 
you've  let  your  suspicions  run  away  with  your  reason.  Can't  a 
man  hold  three  aces  half  a  dozen  times,  for  the  matter  of  that,  in 
succession  ?  There's  nothing  strange  hi  that !  I  saw  a  man  hold 
four  Jack-fulls  one  after  another,  a  few  days  ago,  in  Cincinnati. 
Nobody  thought  anything  strange  of  that !  'cos  they  knew  it  was 
possible.  I'm  sorry  such  a  foolish  suspicion  has  got  holt  on  you, 
Jack,  and  I'm  d — d  glad  you've  kept  it  to  yourself;  so  there's  no 
harm  done.  Now,  Jack,  I'm  willing  to  forgive  and  forget  every 
thing,  if  you'll  solemnly  promise  me  never  to  mention  this  affair 
to  any  one  living.  Come !  what  do  you  say  ?" 

"Yes,  Captain,  I'll  keep  your  secret,  and  also  swallow  all 
you've  been  telling  me,  on  one  condition,  which  is  that  I  shall  be 
equally  interested  in  all  the  poker  games  played  by  you  in 
future  at  the  tailor-shop." 

"  That's  impossible !    Don't  think  of  it,"  he  returned,  shaking 


DIPLOMACY.  43 

his  head.    "  What !  to  be  mixed  up  in  a  gambling  transaction 
with  a  mere  boy ! " 

"  I  want  to  be  interested  with  you  in  a  stealing,  not  a  gamb 
ling  transaction,  Captain,"  I  retorted,  getting  considerably  net 
tled  at  his  assumed  airs. 

'  "Call  it  what  you  please,"  he  said.     "I'd  sooner  lose  fifty 
dollars  of  my  own  money,  any  time,  than  one  of  a  boy's." 

"Which means,  I  suppose,  that  the  game's  too  good  to  give 
any  of  it  away." 

"  I  mean  nothing  of  the  kind,"  he  retorted,  angrily.  "  I  don't 
want  to  be  concerned  in  any  such  business  with  a  boy  of  your  age." 

"  Boys  of  my  age  have  sometimes  more  sense  than  men  older 
than  yourself." 

"  They  think  so,  no  doubt,  especially  when  not  kept  in  their 
proper  places." 

"Maybe  you're  right,  Captain;  but  that's  neither  here  nor 
there,  in  this  case ;  and,  as  I  have  had  sense  enough  to  catch 
you  dealing  from  the  bottom  on  those  sap-heads  up  there,  I 
have  also  sense  enough  to  benefit  my  pocket  by  the  discovery ; 
and,  to  close  matters,  you  must  let  me  have  an  equal  interest 
with  you,  or  you  play  no  more  at  the  tailor's  shop." 

"  I  must,  eh  ?  " 

"That's  the  word!" 

"  And  if  I  refuse,  what  then  ?  " 

"I'll  expose  you!" 

"  Very  well ;  if  that's  your  game,  I'll  not  go  there  any  more." 

"  Then  I'll  be  sure  to  do  it." 

"What !    Because  I  don't  go  there  ? " 

"  You  must  continue  playing  with  the  party,  and  allow  me  an 
interest  in  your  games,  otherwise  I'll  expose  your  tricks,"  I 
answered  in  a  quiet,  but  firm  tone. 

"  Well,  I  see  your  drift.  But  if  you  think,  Jack,  that  you  can 
bully  me  or  force  me  into  anything  contrary  to  my  own  wishes, 
d n  it,  you're  in  the  wrong  channel." 

This  vain  boast  betrayed  to  me  his  weakness,  and  convinced 
me  that  my  point  was  gained.  "  You  control  your  own  actions, 
Captain,"  I  said,  "but  those  fellows  up  there,"  pointing  with  my 
finger  towards  the  shop,  "  won't  like  you  any  better,  when  they 
hear  you've  been  chiseling  them  at  poker  ;  and,  let  me  tell  you, 
there's  some  ugly  customers  among  that  party.  Can  you  afford 


44  -WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

to  hare  the  report  circulated  all  through  the  country,  that  Cap 
tain  Smith  is  a  common  swindler  at  cards?  I  ask  nothing 
unreasonable ;  I  have  my  share  of  the  money  necessary ;  and, 
instead  of  gaming  less  by  my  being  interested,  you  will  make 
much  more  than  if  allowed  to  go  on  in  your  miserable  picayune 
way.  Why,  man,  there's  ten  thousand  dollars  to  be  won  there !" 

"Ten  thousand  lice  to  be  won!"  was  the  contemptuous  reply 
of  the  Captain. 

v  That's  all  you  know  about  it.  I  am  speaking  the  truth,  and 
if  you  wiU  but  listen  to  reason,  and  follow  my  directions,  I'll  en 
sure  you  five  thousand  for  your  share,  in  less  than  two  months' 
time." 

"  From  whom  can  it  be  won?  " 

"  From  several  persons,  but  more  particularly  from  Rathbon 
and  Clarke,  who  are  rich,  and  who  have  won  in  the  tailor's 
shop  during  the  last  three  years  much  more  than  that  amount." 

"And  what  about  Giles?"  he  asked. 

"  He  must  know  nothing  of  the  business,"  I  answered. 

"  Well,  by  G — d,  you  want  to  beat  your  own  father !  " 

"No,"  I  answered  quietly.  "  Giles  shall  not  play  in  the 
game." 

"  Why  not?"  he  demanded. 

"  Because  I  Save  so  arranged  it  that  he  cannot,"  I  replied. 

"I  see!  I  see !  A  d n  nice  trap  you're  trying  to  draw  me 

into ! " 

"What  trap,  Captain?" 

"  How  do  I  know  ?  But  I  expect  you  want  to  get  me  into  the 
tailor's  shop  and  have  me  robbed  and  murdered." 

"  Well,  Captain,"  I  said,  laughing,  "  I  could  not  expect  any 
thing  better  from  your  distrustful  nature ;  but  listen  to  reason. 
If  those  fellows  had  made  a  plot  to  rob  and  murder  you  after  you 
had  entered  the  place,  it  was  no  use  for  them  to  send  me  to  de 
coy  you,  as  you  have  never  failed  to  come  of  your  own  free  will 
every  Saturday  night  since  the  one  you  were  introduced  there — 
and  you  were  on  your  way  there  when  I  met  you  a  short  time 
ago.  The  party  are  waiting  for  you,  'tis  true ;  but  to  treat  you 
with  all  kindness,  as  they  do  every  visitor,  and  to  win  your 
money,  if  they  can." 

"But  you  say  you've  managed  so  that  Giles  can't  play. 
D n  me  if  I  see  how?  " 


DIPLOMACY.  45 

"  I  have  said  already,  I  dare  not  make  a  confidant  of  him, 
because  he  would  not  consent  to  have  any  one  beat  out  of  their 
money,  by  foul  play,  at  his  place.  I  have  managed  to  keep  him 
from  playing  by  compelling  him  to  pay  his  debts  with  what 
ready  money  he  had,  and  it  is  not  likely,  I  know,  that  he  will 
soon  have  any  more.  So  long  as  he  has  none,  he  will  never 
bother  us,  because  he  won't  borrow  money  to  gamble  with." 

"  You  say  you've  got  plenty  of  money.  How  much  have  you 
got  now  ?  " 

"  Enough  to  pay  my  way  with  if  you  should  lose  a  thousand 
dollars." 

"  Why,  how  the  h — 1  did  you  come  by  so  much  money? " 

"  As  I  am  anxious  to  arrange  this  matter  satisfactorily  with 
you,  I  am  willing  to  tell  you  everything  you  wish  to  know. 
What  money  I  have,  I  have  won  during  the  last  two  years,  play 
ing  cards  at  the  tailor's  shop." 

"I  never  saw  you  playing  any  cards  there,  and  I  should  not 
suppose  any  one  would  play  with  such  a  boy  as  you  are ! " 

"  Still  I  have  done  so,  and  every  man  you  have  seen  there 
will'aud  has  repeatedly  played  with  me." 

"  And  you've  beat  'em  ? " 

"  I've  got  their  money  to  show  for  it,  and  what's  more,  besides 
winning  it,  have  kept  it  in  my  possession." 

"  You're  pretty  good  for  your  age,  and  if  you  keep  up  your 
lick  'till  the  hair  comes  out  strong  on  your  face,  you'll  be  a 
light'ner." 

"  Well,  Captain,  I've  now  given  you  every  assurance  of  my 
willingness  to  hetp  you  in  making  money,  and  also  all  the  infor 
mation  you  have  asked  me  for,  to  erase  from  your  mind  the 
suspicions  you  seemed  to  entertain.  Now  are  you  willing  to 
accept  my  offer  ?  It  is  getting  late,  the  party  is  waiting  for  you, 
and  I  want  an  interest  in  your  game  to-night." 

"  But  you  say  you  can  direct  how  five  times  as  much  as  I 
have  been  making  can  be  made." 

"  Yes,  twenty  times  as  much !  Nothing  is  easier.  Increase 
the  ante  whenever  they  demand  it,  which  Clarke,  Willis  and 
Rathbon  are  sure  to  do,  whenever  they  are  losers  in  a  game. 
Any  one  of  them  will  be  willing  to  increase  it  up  to  ten  dollars. 
None  of  the  rest  of  the  poker  players  will  consent  to  play  more 
than  a  dollar  ante,  and  will  drop  out  of  the  game,  which  will 


46  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

make  it  all  the  easier  for  you.  I  want  you  to  break  Eathbon 
and  Clarke — they  are  too  greedy  for  my  use ;  and  you  can  do  it  if 
you  will  only  shove  a  little  more  sand  in  your  craw.  If  you  don't 
want  to  risk  your  money,  I'll  take  any  share  in  the  game  you  don't 
want." 

"  I  can  stand  as  much  as  you  can,"  replied  the  Captain,  sul 
lenly. 

"  Well,  pitch  in  then,  and -get  their  money ;  you'll  find  I'll  ren 
der  you  more  assistance  than  you'd  expect." 

"Well,  Jack,  do  you  think  you  could  keep  your  mouth  shut, 
if  we  started  in  together  ?" 

"Yes,  until  the  grave  shuts  over  it;  would  not  exposure  in 
jure  me  as  much  as  yourself?  Have  confidence  in  me,  Captain." 

"  Now,  if  I  lose  your  money  don't  blame  me  for  it,  Jack !" 

"  If  you  lose  it,  I  shall  not  cry  for  it ;  I  made  it  by  gambling." 

I  gave  him  two  hundred  dollars,  and  promised  that  I  would 
be  careful  not  to  betray,  by  words  or  looks,  that  any  intimacy  ex 
isted  between  us,  after  which  we  separated. 

It  was  arranged  that  I  should  call  on  board  the  "  Statesman" 
each  day  on  which  she  left  for  Cincinnati,  to  settle  accounts  "and 
other  matters  connected  with  our  compact. 

That  night  tl*e  Captain  played  poker  until  after  daylight 
with  Clarke,  Eathbon,  Hicks,  and  a  man  by  the  name  of  Frazer. 
Towards  morning  the  ante  was  raised  to  one  dollar,  and  the  Cap 
tain  rose  from  the  table  the  winner  of  three  hundred  and  eighty 
dollars.  I  met  him  in  his  room  on  the  Statesman  shortly  before 
she  started,  when  he  handed  me  over  my  money,  and  my  portion  of 
last  night's  spoils.  As  we  parted  he  said,  "  Meet  me  on  the  wharf 
where  we  met  last  time,  when  we  come  back."  I  did  so,  and  con 
tinued  to  meet  him  every  Saturday  night  for  three  months,  when 
the  river  got  so  low  that  the  "  Statesman"  had  to  lay  up  at  Cincin 
nati.  The  Captain  sold  his  interest  in  her,  and  never  made  his 
appearance  again  in  Marietta,  at  least  while  I  remained  there. 
During  my  connection  with  this  man,  I  dreaded  him,  and  never 
met  him  without  being  armed.  That  he  hated  me  I  was  satisfied, 
and  I  doubt  not  would  have  done  me  an  ill  turn,  had  I  ever  been  so 
unfortunate  as  to  fall  into  his  power.  At  our  rendezvous  of  an 
evening,  I  watched  him  as  closely  as  if  he  had  been  a  rattlesnake, 
and  I  was  looking  for  the  fatal  spring. 

No  words  except  those  pertaining  strictly  to  business   ever 


MAJOR  GEORGE  JENKS.  47 

passed  between  us ;  our  interviews  were  brief  and  entirely  to  the 
point. 

His  dealings  with  me  were  honest,  and  on  the  whole  we  divid 
ed  between  us,  four  thousand  and  seven  hundred  dollars,  the 
most  of  which  came  from  the  pockets  of  Rathbon  and  Clarke. 

I  managed  to  keep  Giles  from  playing  cards  with  the  Captain, 
by  inducing  him  to  pay  over  to  Mr.  Campbell,  at  various  times, 
what  surplus  money  he  had.  One  night,  while  drunk,  he  insisted 
on  having  a  hand  in  the  game,  and  lost  forty  dollars,  what  money 
he  had  about  him.  He  tried  to  borrow  some,  but  as  I  had  warn 
ed  those  playing,  that  he  was  unable  to  pay,  he  could  get  no  one 
to  loan  to  him,  which  caused  him  to  leave  in  disgust,  and  go 
to  bed." 


CHAPTER    VII. 

MAJOR  GEORGE  JENKS. 

The  spring  had  passed  away,  and  with  it  the  volume  of  water 
which  floated  palatial  steamers  on  the  bosom  of  the  beautiful 
Ohio.  The  long-sunken  bars  were  drawn  to  the  surface  by  the 
heat  of  the  sun,  and  so  confined  the  channel  to  such  narrow  and 
shallow  limits  as  almost  to  impede  navigation  altogether.  Had 
it  not  been  for  a  few  light-draught  stern- wheelers,  and  occasion 
ally  a  keel  or  flat-boat  which  struggled  their  way  painfully,  the 
bosom  of  the  river  would  have  been  as  destitute  of  life  as  when 
the  savage  glided  over  it  in  his  bark  canoe.  The  town  was  so 
dull  that  the  arrival  of  a  dinkey  at  the  wharf  or  the  stage-coach 
from  the  interior  created  no  little  excitement,  and  brought  out 
a  large  portion  of  the  inhabitants  to  stare  at  and  speculate  on 
the  few  passengers  who  arrived  or  departed. 

Like  the  calm  that  succeeds  the  storm,  gambling  died  away 
after  the  period  of  unusually  high  betting  at  the  tailor's  shop 
which  marked  the  era  of  Captain  Smith.  He  had  now  ceased 
to  visit  the  place.  Clarke  and  Rathbon,  who  had  been  his  princi 
pal  victims,  grew  despondent  because  they  had  no  opportunity  of 
recovering  their  losses.  Old  Hicks  would  not  measure  his  skill 
with  theirs  unless  more  verdant  players  could  be  found  to  make 
up  the  game,  for  their  losses  had  made  them  wolfish.  The 


48  WANDEKLNGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

pockets  of  Willis  had  been  drained  by  the  light-fingered  Cap 
tain  until  he  was  unable  to  borrow  a  dollar  more.  Giles,  it  is 
true,  was  willing  to  play,  because  it  was  for  his  interest  to  have 
games  going  on  in  the  shop,  but  he  was  no  match  for  such  play 
ers  as  Clarke  and  Rathbon  and  Hicks,  and  I  used  all  the  elo 
quence  I  was  master  of,  as  well  as  every  stratagem  I  could  devise, 
to  deter  him  from  playing.  But  my  advice  and  remonstrance 
were  equally  thrown  away.  The  only  way  I  could  succeed  was 
to  keep  him  impoverished.  The  money  derived  from  his  busi 
ness,  after  the  payment  of  necessary  expenses,  I  applied  to  the 
payment  of  his  debts,  and  the  money  which  I  received  from  the 
gambling  tables  for  household  expenses,  or  handed  over  to  the 
custody  of  Mrs.  Giles ;  and  if  more  than  she  required,  I  gave  it 
to  Mr.  G.  to  dispose  of  as  he  pleased.  He  was  not  by  any 
means  disposed  to  submit  in  silence  to  the  arbitrary  acts  of  his 
prime  minister.  Not  that  he  objected  to  paying  his  debts,  on 
the  contrary  he  was  very  sensitive  about  his  obligations,  and  at 
all  times  anxious  to  meet  them ;  but  when  he  had  drunk  a  few 
glasses  and  wanted  to  gamble,  he  imagined  that  the  claims  of 
his  creditors  had  no  right  to  interfere  with  his  amusements.  On 
these  occasions  he  would  insist  on  my  giving  him  money.  He 
was  aware  that  I  kept  on  hand  a  stock  of  my  own,  but  had  not 
the  remotest  id«.-a  of  the  amount,  neither  had  any  one  else;  for  I 
allowed  no  one  to  share  my  confidence  regarding  the  strength 
of  my  treasury.  Giles  believed  I  had  four  or  five  hundred  dol 
lars,  and,  as  he  frequently  remarked  to  his  friends,  a  suction-pipe 
of  forty-horse  power  could  not  draw  any  portion  of  it  out  of  me. 
My  frequent  refusals  to  loan  him  money  to  gamble  with  made 
him  very  angry,  and  he  indulged  in  such  ill-tempered  expres 
sions,  bitter  gibes,  and  sometimes  everr  threats  of  violence,  as 
made  my  relations  with  him  anything  but  comfortable.  One  day, 
while  in  one  of  his  drunken  and  domineering  moods,  he  began 
abusing  me  because  I  refused  him  money  to  play  poker.  I  told 
him  plainly  that  he  must  alter  his  style  of  behavior,  or  we  must 
part  company.  He  dreaded  my  leaving  him,  because  I  was  in 
many  ways  useful  to  him,  and,  besides  that,  he  entertained  for 
me  a  rough  kind  of  affection.  His  wife  loved  me  as  much  as  if  I 
had  been  her  own  offspring,  and  this  little  circumstance  having 
come  to  her  knowledge,  and  the  "  gray  mare  being  in  this  case 
decidedly  the  better  horse,"  Giles  was  induced  to  alter  his  be- 


MAJOR  GEORGE  JENKS.  49 

havior  towards  me,  and  after  this  little  affair,  which  took  place  a 
few  months  previous  to  my  collusion  with  Capt.  Smith,  allowed 
me  to  conduct  matters  pretty  much  as  I  pleased.  When  the 
players,  who  were  the  nucleus  around  which  were  gathered  all 
gambling  operations  which  took  place  at  the  tailor's  shop,  could 
not  keep  a  game  going,  the  place  ceased  to  be  a  centre  of  at 
traction,  and  the  hearts  of  the  "unco  guid"  were  gladdened 
on  beholding  at  night  the  dark  windows  and  the  death-like 
stillness  which  hung  around  the  hated  place. 

But  as  a  pebble  dropped  on  the  glassy  surface  of  a  lake  will 
agitate  its  waters  from  shore  to  shore,  so  was  the  sporting  fra 
ternity  of  Marietta  stirred  by  a  report  that  the  royal  "tiger" 
had  made  his  appearance  in  the  place,  and  spread  himself,  for 
his  prey,  at  the  shop  of  Giles  &  Morris. 

Faro  had  been  for  years  a  favorite  game  with  the  frequenters 
of  the  place ;  snaps  were  frequently  opened,  averaging  from  five 
dollars  to  one  hundred,  for  which  the  sheet-iron  dealing  box 
and  big  horn  buttons  of  Giles  were  brought  into  requisition. 
Sometimes  as  many  as  five  or  six  of  these  snaps  would  be  bro 
ken  in  a  night,  and  but  few  were  successful ;  which  can  be  ac 
counted  for  in  this  manner.  The  games  were  not  dealt  in  pro 
portion  to  the  amount  of  capital  in  bank,  or,  in  other  words,  the 
snaps  were  never  limited;  and  as  their  capital  was  usually 
(Small,  nothing  but  an  extraordinary  run  of  good  luck  at  the 
start  could  save  them  from  being  broken.  But  a  regular  out- 
and-out  faro  game,  with  all  its  paraphernalia,  and  elegant  ma 
hogany  box  ornamented  with  a  handsome  picture  of  the  royal 
"tiger,"  a  fine  silver  dealing-box,  six  hundred  ivory  checks,  on 
each  of  which  was  carved  the  head  of  a  horse,  their  valuation  at 
play  being  determined  by  their  different  colors ;  thus  the  colors 
being  red,  white,  and  blue ;  the  first  represented  one,  the  second 
five,  and  the  third  twenty-five.  Over  the  table  was  spread  a 
fine  green  cloth,  and  on  it  a  lay-out  composed  of  thirteen  cards, 
ranging  from  the  ace  to  the  king.  Such  a  display  had  never  be 
fore  met  the  eyes  of  the  crude  gamblers  of  Marietta;  and, 
withal,  under  the  guidance  of  a  full-blooded  professional  gam 
bler. 

Major  George  Jenks  was  an  old  friend  of  John  Travis,  and 
was  by  him  introduced  to  Giles  as  a  high-toned  sporting  gentle 
man.  He  obtained  his  consent  to  open  his  faro  game  at  the 


50  WANDERIXGS   OF   A   VAGABOND. 

tailor's  shop  during  the  evenings.  As  he  was  the  first  profes 
sional  sport,  gambler,  leg  or  black-leg,  all  of  which  terms  are  sy 
nonymous,  of  whose  acquaintance  I  had  the  honor,  I  shall  en 
deavor  to  sketch  his  portrait.  He  was  about  fifty-five  years  of 
age,  tall,  and  well  proportioned.  His  face  was  long  and  oval- 
shaped  ;  his  eyes  dark  and  penetrating,  above  which  met  a  pair 
of  shaggy  gray  eyebrows,  and  his  hair,  of  which  he  had  a  large 
crop,  was  also  a  shaggy  gray.  He  imagined  his  complexion  to 
be  florid,  but,  with  the  exception  of  a  deep  red  tint  on  the  end  of 
his  nose,  and  the  blossomy  protuberances  which  adorned  that 
facial  ornament,  it  was  much  nearer  the  color  of  wet  putty. 
His  countenance  might,  with  the  aforementioned  exception,  be 
called  cadaverous.  When  he  made  his  appearance  before  the 
citizens  of  Marietta,  he  was  attired  in  white  linen  pantaloons,  a 
claw-hammer  coat  of  fine  blue  cloth,  an  open  black  silk  vest,  a 
ruffled  shirt,  while  around  his  neck  was  folded  a  large  black  silk 
handkerchief,  turned  over  which  his  extensive  shirt-collar  shone 
immaculate.  A  broad- brimmed  white  beaver  covered  his 
shaggy  head,  and  a  small  diamond  twinkled  among  the  ruffles 
of  his  shirt.  A  large  gold  fob-chain  with  several  seals  and  small 
keys  attached,  dangled  from  his  thigh;  his  feet  were  covered 
with  brightly  ^arnished  shoes,  and,  to  complete  the  picture,  ho 
carried  in  his  hand  a  varnished  hickory  cane,  ornamented  at  one 
end  with  a  brass  ferule,  and  at  the  other  with  a  knob  of  fine 
polished  gold,  on  which  was  engraved  the  name  of  Major  George 
Jenks.  He  was  born  in  Virginia — a  fact  of  which  he  was  inor 
dinately  proud ;  but  where  can  the  Virginian  be  discovered  who 
is  not?  or  where  is  the  Virginian  versed  in  the  lore  of  his 
native  State,  who  cannot  trace  his  pedigree  far  back  among 
some  of  the  titled  families  of  the  British  Isles  ? 

His  lantern  jaws  were  entirely  overworked ;  for,  when  not 
employed  hi  masticating  his  food,  they  were  always  occupied — 
except  during  his  hours  of  sleep — in  crushing  the  juice  from  that 
weed  so  largely  cultivated  in  his  beloved  native  State. 

Whenever  the  brains  of  the  Major  became  heated  from  over 
dosing  himself  with  the  "essence  of  corn,"  he  would  hold  forth 
at  great  length,  and  with  much  unction,  on  the  superiority  of 
Virginians  in  general,  and  the  Jenks  family  in  particular,  to  all 
creation.  He  would  insist  that  his  family  were  among  the  first 
settlers,  and  that  its  illustrious  members  could  trace  their  pedi~ 


MAJOR  GEORGE  JENKS.  51 

gree  back  to  the  Plantagenets ;  of  which  much-suffering  name, 
and  its  bearers,  he  had,  however,  a  very  confused  notion.  He 
was  aware  that  this  august  name  was  the  polar  star  of  all  ichor- 
blooded  Virginians,  and  he  flourished  it  before  us  with  the  utmost 
looseness.  The  Major  had  but  one  country,  his  heaven  and  his 
earth — that  was  Virginia.  When  in  one  of  his  convivial  moods, 
he  delighted  to  talk  of  the  generalship  of  Washington,  the  states 
manship  of  Jefferson  and  Madison,  the  eloquence  of  Henry,  and 
the  wit  of  Randolph.  He  denounced  Clay  and  Jackson  as  hum 
bugs  and  demagogues ;  and  when  reminded  that  Clay  was  a 
Virginian,  he  insisted  that  he  was  only  a  mongrel,  who  was 
obliged  to  leave  his  native  State  because  he  was  unable  to  cope 
with  the  mighty  intellects  with  which  it  was  filled.  In  fine,  no 
good  thing,  in  the  Major's  eyes,  could  come  from  anywhere  out 
side  of  Virginia. 

Of  when  or  how  he  obtained  the  title  of  Major,  I  am  profoundly 
ignorant ;  perhaps  he  had  belonged  to  the  militia — the  country, 
in  those  days,  was  filled  with  citizen  soldiers — or,  as  is  quite  as 
likely,  it  had  been  awarded  by  his  friends  as  an  expression  of 
respect ;  a  way  in  which  thousands  of  others  have  obtained  their 
military  titles.  It  is,  indeed,  a  subject  we  cannot  afford  to  be  too 
curious  about,  in  this  country.  I  never  asked  him  how  he  ob 
tained  it,  nor  did  he  ever  volunteer  any  information,  though  he 
never  failed,  in  putting  his  name  to  any  paper,  however  insignifi 
cant,  to  adorn  it  with  the  title  of  "  Major."  He  also  aped  the 
bearing  of  a  military  man,  by  shoving  out  his  chest  to  what 
must  have  been  a  most  uncomfortable  degree,  and  keeping  his 
head  preternaturally  erect. 

His  faro-table,  covered  with  the  implements  of  the  game, 
created  quite  a  sensation  among  his  visitors,  very  few  of  whom 
had  ever  seen  anything  better,  in  that  line,  than  Giles'  sheet-iron 
box,  big  horn  buttons,  and  lay-out  of  cards  tacked  to  the  table. 
Giles  was  careful  that  no  persons  should  be  admitted  to  the  game, 
but  such  as  wished  to  join  in  it.  On  the  first  evening,  the  Major 
had  a  lively  game,  hi  which  he  lost  over  three  hundred  dollars. 
It  broke  up  by  ten  o'clock;  the  players,  having  all  won,  were 
satisfied ;  but  the  polite  Major  would  not  allow  his  customers  to 
leave  until  he  had  treated  them  to  a  lunch,  which  he  ordered 
from  the  "  Old  Hickory."  Some  of  the  winners  objected  to  this, 
and  proposed  to  make  up  a  purse  among  themselves  for  that  pur- 


52  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

pose;  but  the  suave  Major  carried  his  point,  by  telling  them  they 
were  his  guests,  and  as  such  must  be  treated,  whether  they  won 
or  lost,  whenever  they  visited  his  place.  After  the  lunch,  liquors 
and  cigars  (red-eye  and  stogies),  the  best  the  place  afforded, 
were  introduced  by  the  host,  who  could  not  have  entertained  his 
guests  more  agreeably,  or  with  more  true  politeness,  had  he  been 
doing  the  honors  in  an  elegant  drawing-room.  They  had  won 
his  money,  and  were  now  enjoying  themselves  at  his  expense; 
and  he  showed  them  by  his  manner  that  his  losses  held  no  place 
in  his  memory  (or  at  least  tried  to  make  them  think  so,  and 
succeeded),  and  that  they  could  not  do  him  a  greater  favor  than 
to  partake  of  his  hospitality. 

When  a  half-dozen  or  so  of  glasses  of  "red-eye"  had  some 
what  enlivened  the  old  fellow,  he  sang  a  love-song,  in  a  fine 
manly  voice,  to  the  immense  satisfaction  of  his  hearers.  I  had 
given  my  entire  attention  to  the  wants  of  the  Major,  during  the 
evening.  I  had  helped  him  to  arrange  his  faro-table,  waited  on 
the  players,  and  afterwards  brought  the  lunch  from  the  "Old 
Hickory."  The  old  fellow  acknowledged  my  services,  and 
thanked  me,  in  the  presence  of  all  the  company,  after  he  had 
finished  his  love-song.  He  even  went  so  far  as  to  prophesy 
that  I  should  somo  day  represent  my  district  in  congress.  The 
Major's  idea  of  greatness  ran  altogether  in  a  political  channel. 
He  showed  much  surprise  when  some  one  present  told  him  I 
was  the  best  gambler  in  the  place,  and,  in  a  sorrowful  voice, 
warned  me  to  flee  from  cards,  as  I  would  from  "  the  wrath  to 
come." 

"But  you  don't  practice  what  you  preach,  Major,"  I  laugh 
ingly  said. 

"That's  so,  my  son,"  he  rejoined;  "but  circumstances  have 
thrown  me  into  my  present  position,  and  I  am  now  too  far  ad 
vanced  to  reform.  '  It's  hard  learning  old  dogs  new  tricks/  you 
know ;  but  that  does  not  disqualify  me  from  giving  you  good 
advice." 

"No,  Major,  and  I'm  thankful  for  your  kind  intentions;  but 
I'm  afraid  your  good  advice  is  only  thrown  away  on  me,  because 
the  same  current  which  drifted  you  to  gambling  is  carrying  me 
along  with  it." 

"Indeed!"  he  exclaimed,  regarding  me  curiously;  "pray, 
what  current  is  that,  Master  Jack  ?  " 


MAJOR  GEORGE  JEXKS.  53 

"  Love  of  excitement  and  gain,  sir,"  I  rejoined. 

"Damn  me,  gentlemen,"  cried  the  Major,  bringing  his  hand 
down  on  the  table  so  fiercely  that  the  bottles  and  glasses  rung 
again,  "  if  I  don't  believe  the  youth  on  this  side  of  the  Ohio  ad 
vance  faster  than  those  along  our  sea-shore ! "  After  which 
forcible  delivery  of  his  opinion,  he  invited  all  hands  to  join  him 
in  another  drink,  which  they  were  quite  ready  to  do,  being  all 
capable  drinkers. 

"  Then  it's  really  your  intention  to  become  a  gambler,  Jack?" 
was  the  half-way  inquiry  of  the  Major,  the  round  of  liquor  being 
tossed  down  the  capacious  throats  of  the  company. 

"So  it  seems,  Major." 

"  Then  Fm  sorry  for  you,  my  boy.  You've  got  a  crooked  and 
d d  stoney  road  before  you,  that's  all  I  can  say." 

"Well,  Major,  can't  you  give  him  some  advice  how  he  can 
drive  his  team  over  that  ar'  road  ?  "  asked  old  Hicks,  who  was 
present. 

"I  can,  sir,  with  pleasure,  if  he  will  listen  to  it;  but  before 
I  begin,  with  your  permission,  sir  (bowing  to  Hicks),  we'll  fill  up 
our  glasses  and  take  another  round." 

The  company  met  the  call  to  a  man,  and,  having  supplied  his 
cheek  with  a  fresh  quid  of  "  nigger-head,"  the  Major  leaned 
back  in  his  chair,  stretched  his  legs  under  the  table,  and  pro 
ceeded  to  enlighten  me  as  follows : 

"  My  young  friend,  remember  that  cleanliness,  not  to  mention 
its  being  next  to  godliness,  is  the  parent  of  health.  Live  accord 
ing  to  your  means,  dress  well,  but  avoid  foppishness ;  make  it 
your  study  to  use  good  language  and  acquire  the  manners  of  a 
gentleman.  Beware  of  intemperate  and  dissolute  companions ; 
never  intermeddle  with  the  business  of  others,  or  neglect  your 
own  for  frivolous  pleasure.  Avoid  quarrels  and  quarrelsome 
persons,  and,  above  all,  shun  the  company  of  abandoned  women. 
Enter  into  no  business  transaction  without  first  giving  the  sub 
ject  due  reflection,  and,  when  in  doubt,  seek  the  advice  of  men 
on  whose  integrity  and  judgment  you  can  rely.  When  your 
money  or  your  honor  is  at  stake,  rely  on  your  own  natural 
sense,  if  you  have  no  trustworthy  friend  at  hand  to  advise  you. 
Give  your  confidence  to  few ;  but  should  you  ever  be  so  fortunate 
as  to  have  a  tried  friend,  let  nothing  but  death  separate  you,  one 
from  the  other.  Never  borrow  money  under  false  pretenses, 


54  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

however  pressing  may  be  your  wants.  Observe  these  instruc 
tions,  my  young  friend,  and,  with  the  energy  and  personal  ap 
pearance  you  possess,  you  cannot  fail  to  succeed  in  the  world." 

"  That's  very  good  advice,  Major,  and  worthy  of  a  philosopher ; 
but  why  is  it  not  equally  applicable  to  all  other  persons  as  well 
as  gamblers  ?  "  demanded  Mr.  Willis. 

"Quite  true,  sir,  quite  true;  but  it  is  much  more  requisite 
that  a  gambler  should  follow  these  instructions  than  any  one." 

"  I  don't  see  why,"  said  Willis. 

"  Because  integrity,  upright  behavior,  and  personal  appear 
ance  are  his  stock  in  trade.  Should  he  deceive  his  friends,  or 
commit  any  ofoer  dishonorable  or  underhand  act,  all  high-toned 
gamblers  will  shun  him,  and  whenever  they  shun  one  of  their 
own  fraternity,  every  one  else  whose  friendship  is  worth  having 
will  also  shun  him." 

"  The  same  remark  will  apply  to  other  men,  as  well  as  gamb 
lers,"  replied  Mr.  Willis. 

"In  a  measure,  certainly;  but  all  other  men  are  not  such 
good  judges  of  character  as  gamblers." 

"  Then  you  think  gamblers  better  judges  of  character  than 
other  people?" 

"Yes,  sir,"  answered  the  Major,  emphatically.  "They  are 
the  best  judges  of  character  on  earth,  especially  the  gamblers 
from  Virginia." 

"  Waal,  that's  all  very  fine,  Major,  so  far  as  it  goes.  You've 
told  Jack  what  kind  of  a  team  he  wants  to  carry  him  over  that 
ar'  stoney  an'  twisted  road  o'  yourn,  but  you  isn't  told  'im  how 
he's  to  drive  it,  and  feed  it  on  the  way,"  chimed  in  old  Hicks. 

"  If  I  understand  you  correctly,  Mr.  Hicks,  you  wish  me  to 
inform  the  young  gentleman  what  he  must  do  to  succeed  in  the 
world,  is  it  not,  sir  ? "  asked  the  Major,  with  one  of  his  most  dig 
nified  bows. 

"  That's  it,  old  stud,"  rejoined  Hicks. 

"  I  shall  do  so,  sir,"  said  the  Major,  curtly,  not  much  liking,  I 
thought,  the  title  of  " old  stud"  conferred  on  him  by  Mr.  Hicks; 
then  turning  to  me  he  said,  "  Jack,  my  boy,  never  back  a  loser." 

"  That's  very  good  advice,  but  how  the  h — 1  are  you  going  to 
tell  the  loser  from  the  winner?"  inquired  a  big  powerful  fellow 
by  the  name  of  Jones. 

"  You  don't  understand  me,  sir,  because  you  interrupted  me 


MAJOR  GEORGE  JENKS.  55 

before  I  had  elucidated  my  subject,"  said  the  Major,  with  much 
dignity.  Without  waiting  for  an  apology,  he  continued,  address 
ing  me,  "  Never  bet  on  an  unlucky  horse  or  an  unlucky  man. 
Whenever  a  breed  of  cocks  have  established  their  reputation, 
follow  them  up  with  your  money.  Be  careful  of  a  young  race 
horse,  regardless  of  his  pedigree;  but  whenever  one  of  good 
blood  has  shown  extraordinary  speed  and  bottom,  keep  betting 
on  him' till  he's  beaten,  then  drop  him.  When  you  find  your 
self  over-matched  at  a  game  of  cards,  drop  your  adversary  as 
soon  as  possible ;  good  card-players  live  on  fools ;  be  careful  not 
to  be  one  of  the  latter  class.  If  any  one  offers  to  bet  you  he  can 
perform  any  trick  or  feat,  let  him  go  by ;  for  'tis  a  hundred  to  one 
that  if  he  finds  any  fools  sufficiently  green  to  take  his  bets  he  will 
win  them.  Should  you  see  one  person  take  advantage  of  another 
while  at  play,  don't  expose  the  fraud,  but  bet  on  him  if  you  can 
find  any  one  to  take  your  wager.  Don't  squander  your  money, 
but  keep  it  in  readiness  to  make  more  with  whenever  the  oppor 
tunity  arrives.  Choose  your  friends  from  moneyed  men,  because 
poor  ones  can  be  of  no  use  to  you." 

"How  old  are  you,  Major?"  asked  Mr.  Willis. 

"  Well,  I'm  going  on  fifty-five  sir,  and  I'm  able  to  drink  as  much 
whiskey  as  any  man  in  this  room;  so  I  move  we  take  a  parting 
drink  and  go  to  bed." 

"Excuse  me,  Major,"  said  Willis,  "but  one  more  question  if  you 
please.  Have  you  been  following  up  this  here  advice  you've 
given  to  Jack  all  them  years  ?" 

"No,  sir,  I  have  not,"  he  stiffly  replied;  "for  no  person  is  ca 
pable  of  giving  good  advice  until  he's  old  enough  to  understand 
he's  been  a  damned  .fool."  The  concluding  part  of  the  Majors 
speech  was  received  with  much  laughter,  besides  a  round  of  ap 
plause,  after  which,  and  a  parting  drink,  the  party  separated  for 
the  night. 


56  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

CHAPTER    VIIL 

FARO. 

Faro  may  be  termed  a  national  game,  as  it  is  the  favorite 
banking  game  of  chance  in  this  country.  It  had  its  origin  in 
Europe,  where  it  was  played  extensively  during  the  sevenu  enth, 
eighteenth,  and  the  early  part  of  the  present  century;  but  such  is 
the  mutability  of  human  events,  that  the  game  is  now  almost 
entirely  unknown  in  that  country. 

At  what  time  or  among  what  nation  of  people  the  game  ol 
faro  first  made  its  appearance,  tradition  saith  not,  or  if  any  ro  - 
cording  scribe  has  ever  left  such  a  record  behind  him,  all  traces 
of  it  are  now  probably  lost,  which  will  not,  I  suppose,  be  looked 
upon  by  "society"  as  any  very  terrible  calamity.  The  English 
claim  that  the  game,  like  many  of  their  other  vices,  was  in 
troduced  among  them  by  the  Germans.  The  old  tale,  "  brought 
up  virtuous-,  and  afterwards  corrupted  by  bad  company." 

Hoyle  is  the  first  writer  known  to  us  who  has  given  the  rules, 
laws,  and  maxims  of  the  game.  He  says  in  his  book  of  games, 
"  This  game  (speaking  of  faro)  is  a  very  peculiar  one,  played 
but  little  in  England,  and  that  it  is  purely  a  game  for  winning  and 
losing  money."  The  technical  terms  formerly  used  in  playing 
this  game  being  French,  induces  me  to  believe  it  was  a  French 
invention,  and  introduced  into  their  own  country  by  the  English 
nobility,  who  were  in  the  habit  of  adopting  French  games  for  their 
amusement,  looking  upon  their  national  ones  as  vulgar.  If  the 
game  of  faro  originated  in  Germany,  it  has  long  since  lost  all 
traces  of  its  nationality.  Whether  Hoyle  was  correct  or  not  in 
saying  that  faro  was  but  little  played  in  England,  we  find  among 
the  statutes  enacted  by  parliament  during  the  reign  of  the  second 
George,  one  prohibiting  gambling,  under  a  penalty  of  two  hun 
dred  pounds'  fine,  and  among  the  games  particularly  mentioned 
are  hazard,  roly-poly,  and  faro. 

I  find  no  trace  of  the  game  farther  back  than  this  period. 

We  find  in  Washington  Irving's  tale  of  the  great  Mississippi 
bubble,  a  description  of  John  Law,  a  Scotchman,  who  was  the 
prime  mover  in  that  celebrated  swindle.  As  far  as  relates  to  our 
subject,  we  shall  give  the  author's  own  words.  "  Law  remained 


FAEO.  57 

for  a  while  in  Paris,  leading  a  gay  and  affluent  existence,  owing 
to  his  handsome  person,  easy  manner,  flexible  temper,  and  a  faro- 
bank  which  he  had  set  up.  His  agreeable  existence  was  inter 
rupted  by  a  message  from  D'Argenson,  Lieutenant-General  of 
Police,  ordering  him  to  quit  Paris,  alleging  that  he  was  rather  too 
skillful  at  the  games  which  he  had  introduced.  This  event  took 
place  in  the  year  1700.  The  faro  which  John  Law  dealt,  and 
which  Hoyle  describes  hi  his  book  of  games,  has  not  been  in  use 
over  forty  years." 

As  this  game  will  bear  an  important  part  in  these  memoirs,  it 
is  necessary  that  the  reader  should  become  acquainted  with  its 
mysteries,  its  rules,  maxims,  and  the  manner  in  which  it  is 
conducted  at  the  present  time.  For  this  purpose  I  have  made  an 
extract  from  the  American  Hoyle,  which  gives  a  full  description 
of  the  game  of 

FAEO. 

Faro  is  played  with  a  full  deck  of  fifty-two  cards.  The  dealer 
sits  at  the  table  prepared  for  the  purpose,  with  an  assistant  or 
"  looker-out"  at  his  right  hand.  Upon  the  centre  of  the  table  is  a 
suit  of  cards,  arranged  in  the  following  order,  upon  which  the 
players  place  their  money  or  stakes,  and  which  is  called  "the 
lay-out."  It  is  composed  of  thirteen  cards,  either  pasted  or  paint 
ed  on  a  cloth.  These  cards  are  placed  in  two  rows,  running 
parallel  with  each  other.  The  row  next  the  players  contains  the 
king,  queen,  and  Jack  (which  are  called  the  big  figure),  ten, 
nine,  and  eight.  The  row  next  the  dealer  contains  the  ace,  deuce, 
and  trois  (which  are  called  the  little  figure),  the  four,  five,  and 
six.  Next  the  six  and  eight  is  placed  the  seven.  These  three 
cards  comprise  what  is  called  "  the  pot."  Four  connecting  cards 
are  called  squares.  For  example,  the  king,  queen,  ace,  and  deuce, 
is  called  the  " grand  square;"  the  Jack,  trois,  four,  and  ten,  the 
"  Jack  square ;"  the  nine,  eight,  six,  and  five,  the  "  nine 
square."  A  bet  placed  in  a  square  includes  the  four  cards ;  one 
placed  behind  any  named  card,  except  the  king  or  seven,  in 
cludes  that  card,  and  also  the  two  adjoining  ones.  For  instance 
—a  bet  placed  behind  the  queen  would  include  the  king  and 
Jack.  A  bet  placed  on  the  inside  corner  of  any  card  includes  the 
two  cards  next  to  it,  as  well  as  the  one  it  rests  upon,  in  all  the 
States  and  Territories  west  and  south  of  the  State  of  New  York, 


58  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

but  in  the  latter  State,  and  those  east  of  it,  such  a  bet  would  bar 
both  cards  alongside  of  it,  and  include  the  card  it  rested  upon, 
with  the  one  diagonally  opposite.  A  bet  placed  between  any  two 
cards  includes  those  two.  A  bet  placed  on  the  corner  of  a  card 
on  the  outside  connects  two  cards,  as  a  bet  placed  on  the  corner 
of  the  king  would  include  the  Jack,  or  one  placed  on  the  corner 
of  the  ace  would  include  the  trois,  and  leave  out  the  queen  and 
deuce. 

The  stakes  usually  consist  of  counters  or  checks,  made  of 
ivory,  representing  different  sums.  They  are  purchased  of  the 
banker,  and  are  redeemed  by  him  at  the  option  of  the  holder. 
The  banker  usually  limits  the  sums  so  bet,  according  to  the 
amount  of  his  capital. 

The  game  may  be  played  by  any  number  of  persons,  and  each 
player  may  select  any  card  or  number  of  cards  upon  the  "  lay 
out,"  and  may  change  his  bet  from  one  card  to  another,  when 
ever  he  pleases. 

DEALING    THE     CARDS. 

The  players  having  placed  their  stakes  upon  the  "lay-out," 
and  all  other  preliminaries  being  settled,  the  dealer  shuffles 
the  cards,  cuts  them,  and  places  them  face  up  in  a  small 
metal  box,  usually  silver,  which  is  a  little  larger  than  the 
pack  to  be  admitted ;  this  box  is  open  at  the  top,  so  that 
the  top  card  may  always  be  in  view.  It  also  has  a  small 
opening  at  the  side,  sufficiently  large  to  permit  a  single  card  to 
pass  through  it  conveniently.  As  the  cards  are  pushed  out,  or 
dealt  from  the  top  through  this  opening,  the  remainder  of  the 
deck  is  forced  upwards  by  springs  placed  in  the  bottom  of  the 
box,  and  thus  the  cards  are  kept  in  their  proper  place  until  the 
pack  is  exhausted. 

We  will  suppose,  by  the  way  of  illustration,  that  the  ace  is  the 
top  card,  as  it  appears  in  the  box.  This  card  is  shoved  through 
the  opening  when  a  ten  appears — this  is  the  banker's  card,  and 
he  wins  all  the  money  which  may  have  been  placed  upon  it.  The 
ten,  like  the  ace,  is  removed,  disclosing  a  king,  which  is  the 
player's  card,  the  bank  losing  all  stakes  found  upon  it.  The 
drawing  of  these  two  cards  is  called  "  a  turn,"  which,  being 
made,  the  dealer  takes  and  pays  all  the  money  won  and  lost, 
and  then  proceeds  as  before,  drawing  out  two  more  cards— the 


FARO. 


59 


first  for  the  bank  and  the  second  for  the  player,  and  thus  he 
continues  until  the  whole  pack  is  dealt  out. 

Whenever  two  cards  of  the  same  denomination,  as,  for  exam 
ple,  two  sevens  or  two  fours,  appear  in  the  same  turn,  the  dealer 
takes  half  the  money  found  upon  such  card — this  is  called  a 
"split,"  and  is  said  to  be  the  bank's  greatest  percentage,  to 
avoid  which  old  faro  players  wait  until  there  is  but  one  seven 
or  four,  or  card  <5f  any  other  denomination  left  in  the  box,  and 
then  place  their  heavy  bets  upon  that,  thus  avoiding  the  possi 
bility  of  a  "  split." 

If  a  player  wishes  to  play  upon  the  banker's  card,  or  to  bet 
any  certain  card  will  lose,  he  indicates  it  by  placing  a  copper 
upon  the  top  of  his  stake,  and  if  this  card  wins  for  the  bank  the 
player  also  wins. 

When  there  is  but  one  turn  left  in  the  box,  the  player  has  the 
privilege  of  "  calling  the  last  turn,"  that  is,  of  guessing  the 
order  in  which  the  cards  will  appear,  and  if  he  calls  it  correctly 
he  receives  four  times  the  amount  of  his  stake. 


KEEPING    THE    GAME. 

As  it  is  important  for  both  dealer  and  player  that  the  cards 
remaining  in  should  be  known,  the  game  is  accurately  kept,  so 
as  to  exhibit  at  a  glance  every  phase  of  the  deal.  For  this  pur 
pose,  printed  cards  are  given  to  the  players,  upon  which  they 
keep  the  game  in  the  following  manner. 

No.  1. — This  table,  marked  as  the  cards 
are  dealt,  exhibits  what  each  card  has 
done ;  the  0  means  that  the  card  has  lost, 
1  that  it  won ;  thus,  the  ace  lost,  won,  lost, 
and  won;  the  four  lost  twice  and  won 
twice ;  the  seven  won  four  times ;  the 
queen  lost  four  times,  and  the  Jack  split, 
lost  and  won ;  the  X  indicating  a  split;  the 
six  was  the  top,  or  "soda  card,"  as  shown 
by  the  * ;  the  nine  won,  lost  and  won,  the 
fourth  nine  remaining  in  the  box,  being 
the  last,  or  "hock"  card,  which  is  indicated  by  the  J. 

No.  2. — This  table  illustrates  a  deal  partly  made.  One  ace 
has  been  dealt,  and  three  remain  in  the  box ;  two  deuces  have 


No.  1. 

No.  2. 

A—  0101 

A—  1 

2—0000 

2—00 

3—1001 

3—000 

4—0011 

*4— 

5—0010 

5—01 

*6—  101 

6—011 

7—1111 

<7  

8—1100 

8—11 

9—  lOlt 

9—011 

10—1110 

10— 

J—  X01 

J— 

0—0000 
K—  1100 

fcs 

60  WATERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

lost,  and  two  remain  in  the  box ;  four  was  the  top  card,  and  all 
the  sevens  remain  in  the  box,  etc. 

At  this  stage  of  the  game  cautious  players  would  avoid  bet 
ting  upon  the  seven,  ten,  or  Jack,  preferring  the  trois,  six,  or 
nine,  because  upon  these  latter  cards  they  cannot  be  split,  as 
there  is  but  one  of  each  in  the  box,  while  the  seven,  ten,  and 
Jack  are  all  in  the  box,  and  are  therefore  liable  to  split  or  to  ap 
pear  before  the  others. 

KEEPING    THE    GAME    BY    A    CUE-BOX. 

Another  mode  of  keeping  the  game,  common  in  the  Northern 
States,  is  by  a  "cue-box,"  by  which  the  different  stages  of  the 
game  are  correctly  noted  by  one  of  the  players  or  by  a  regular 
"cue-keeper,"  who  is  usually  attached  to  the  bank. 

The  cue-box  is  a  miniature  "lay-out,"  with  four  buttons  at 
tached  to  each  card.  Those  familiar  with  billiards  will  recog 
nize  this  as  the  same  method  of  keeping  that  game. 

At  the  beginning  of  each  deal,  the  buttons,  which  are  placed 
upon  wires  extending  from  each  card,  are  all  shoved  up  to  the 
card;  as  soon  as  a  turn  is  made  the  buttons  are  pushed  to  the 
opposite  end  of  the  wire.  If  the  Jack  is  the  soda  card,  one  of 
the  four  buttons  belonging  to  that  card  is  pushed  to  the  opposite 
end  of  the  wire.  If  the  turn  come  a  king,  and  then  a  four,  a 
button  from  the  king  and  one  from  the  four  is  pushed  to  the  op 
posite  end  of  the  wire,  and  so  on  to  the  end  of  the  deal,  so  that, 
by  a  glance  of  the  eye,  the  player  can  see  how  many  of  each 
card  remain  in  the  dealer's  box. 

TECHNICAL    TERMS    USED    IN    FABO. 

Banker  or  Backer. — The  person  who  furnishes  the  money  for 
the  game. 

Dealer. — He  who  deals  the  cards,  and  takes  and  pays  the 
bets. 

Cue  or  Case-Keeper. — The  person  who  marks  game  on  the 
cue-box. 

Looker-out. — The  dealer's  assistant. 

Checks. — Ivory  tokens  representing  money,  with  which  the 
game  is  played;  they  vary  in  color,  size,  and  value. 

The  Hock  or  Hockelty  Card  is  the  last  card  remaining  in  the 
box  after  the  deal  has  been  made.  When  one  turn  remains  to 


FAEO.  61 

be  made,  there  are  three  cards  in  the  box.  They  may  be,  for  ex 
ample,  the  five,  six,  and  seven.  We  will  suppose  the  last  turn  to 
be  five,  six,  leaving  the  seven  in  the  box,  which  would  be  called 
the  hock  card,  because,  as  the  game  was  originally  played,  the 
dealer  took  "hock,"  that  is,  all  money  which  happened  to  be 
placed  upon  that  card ;  the  bank,  therefore,  had  a  certainty  of 
winning  that  money,  without  the  possibility  of  losing  it ;  hence 
the  term  hock,  which  means  certainty. 

A  Deal. — The  dealer  is  said  to  have  made  a  deal  when  he  has 
dealt  out  the  whole  deck. 

A  Turn. — The  two  cards  drawn  from  the  dealer's  box,  one  for 
the  bank  and  the  other  for  the  player,  which  thus  determines 
the  events  of  the  game,  constitute  a  turn. 

Coppering  a  Bet. — If  a  player  wishes  to  bet  that  a  card  will 
lose  (that  is,  win  for  the  bank),  he  indicates  his  wish  by  placing 
a  cent,  or  whatever  may  be  provided  for  that  purpose,  upon  the 
top  of  his  stake.  It  is  called  "coppering,"  because  coppers 
were  first  used  to  distinguish  such  bets. 

To  Bar  a  Bet. — A  player  having  a  bet  upon  a  card,  and  wish 
ing  to  bar  it  for  a  turn,  must  say  to  the  dealer,  "I  bar  this  bet 
for  the  turn,"  pointing  to  it,  in  which  case  it  can  neither  win  nor 
lose. 

Last  Call. — When  three  cards  only  remain  in  the  box,  any 
player  has  the  privilege  of  calling  the  order  in  which  they  will 
be  dealt.  This  is  termed  the  last  call.  The  checks  are  placed  so 
as  to  express  the  call,  and,  if  correctly  made,  the  bank  pays  four 
for  one,  and  if  a  "cat,"  two  for  one. 

A  Cat  or  Cat  Harpen. — When  the  last  turn  consists  of  two 
cards  of  the  same  denomination,  and  one  card,  as  two  tens  and 
a  king,  it  is  called  a  cat. 

Paroli  or  Parlee. — Suppose  a  player  to  bet  five  dollars  upon 
the  ace,  it  wins,  and  the  dealer  pays  it ;  if  the  player  then  allows 
the  ten  dollars  to  remain  upon  the  ace,  he  is  said  to  play  his 
paroli,  which  means  the  original  stake  and  all  its  winnings. 

Pressing  a  Bet. — To  add  to  the  original  stake. 

Betting  even  Stakes  is  when  the  player  constantly  bets  the 
same  amount. 

Stringing  a  Bet  is  taking  in  one  or  more  cards,  remote  from 
the  one  upon  which  the  bet  is  placed. 

Playing  a  Bet  Open  is  to  bet  a  card  will  win,  not  to  lose. 


62  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND 

Repeating  and  Reversing. — A  card  is  said  to  repeat  when  it 
plays  as  it  did  upon  the  previous  deal,  and  to  reverse  when  it 
plays  directly  opposite ;  that  is,  if  it  won  four  tunes  it  is  said  to 
reverse  if  it  loses  four  times. 

Snap. — A  temporary  bank,  not  a  regular  or  established  game. 

Sleepers. — A  bet  is  said  to  be  a  sleeper  when  the  owner  has 
forgotten  it,  when  it  becomes  public  property,  any  one  having  a 
right  to  take  it. 

A  Bet  or  Case  Card. — When  three  cards  of  one  denomination 
have  been  dealt,  the  one  remaining  in  the  box  is  called  a  bet, 
case,  or  single  card. 

The  Soda  Card  is  the  top  card  of  the  deck,  when  put  into  the 
dealing-box  preparatory  to  a  deal. 

Snaking  a  Game. — A  game  is  said  to  be  snaked  when  the 
dealer's  cards  have  been  stolen,  and  privately  returned,  marked, 
or  prepared  in  such  a  manner  as  that  when  they  are  dealt,  the 
snaker  knows  what  cards  will  win  or  lose.  Faro  banks  are  often 
broken  in  this  way. 

Throwing  off  a  Game.'— When  a  dealer,  by  a  preconcerted 
plan,  allows  a  player  to  win,  he  is  said  to  throw  off  the  game. 

Catching  a  Turn. — Sometimes  the  dealer  is  so  careless  in 
shuffling  his  cards,  that  a  shrewd  player  will  know  what  cards 
have  not  been  separated,  or  will  have  some  other  advantage  by 
which  he  will  beat  the  turn ;  this  is  called  "  catching  a  turn." 

LAWS     OF    THE    GAME. 

The  rules  of  faro  are  few  and  arbitrary,  and  are  baaed  upon 
principles  of  justice  and  equity.  All  questions  or  points  of  con 
troversy  which  may  arise  during  a  deal,  may  at  once  be  settled 
by  referring  to  the  general  rules  or  principles  of  the  game. 

All  bets  are  to  be  taken  or  paid  as  they  lie  upon  the  card, 
except  there  is  an  express  understanding  to  the  contrary.  The 
intentions  of  a  player  are  not  to  be  considered  by  the  dealer ;  his 
bet  being  supposed  to  represent  his  intention. 

If  a  player  wishes  to  bar  a  bet  on  a  card,  he  must  make  the 
dealer  understand  that  he  bars  it,  when  it  will  remain  barred 
until  he  says  "it  goes." 

If  a  player  should  put  a  bet  upon  a  card,  and  say  to  the  dealer, 
"  One  half  of  this  bet  goes,"  it  would  be  so  understood  until  the 
end  of  the  deal,  unless  the  order  was  revoked. 


.       FARO.  63 

Should  a  player  or  the  dealer,  by  design  or  accident,  remove 
or  alter  a  bet  belonging  to  another,  he  is  responsible  for  its  loss. 

When  two  players  bet  the  same  stake  "single  "  upon  different 
cards,  one  coppered  and  the  other  to  win,  and  they  both  win 
upon  the  same  turn,  the  copper  bet,  being  the  first  to  win,  must 
be  paid. 

The  dealer  must  pay  all  bets  for  which  he  turns,  provided 
they  are  made  in  checks,  but  only  the  limit  of  the  game  if  in 
bank  bills. 

The  dealer  should  take  and  pay  correctly,  and  not  make  mis 
takes  by  design  or  through  carelessness;  nor  should  he  alter 
the  position  of  the  cards  dealt,  but  allow  them  to  remain  upon 
their  respective  piles  undisturbed. 

When  the  players  have  broken  a  bank,  the  dealer  must  take 
and  pay  the  largest  bets  first.  Suppose  the  bank  to  have  but 
one  dollar  left,  a  turn  is  made  by  which  the  dealer  wins  one 
dollar  and  loses  two ;  he  must  take  the  dollar  he  wins,  and  pay 
the  dollar  lost;  the  rule  is  to  take  and  pay  the  amount  of  the  bank 
in  sight. 

The  dealer  has  the  right  to  close  his  game,  or  to  quit  dealing, 
whenever  he  sees  proper  to  do  «o. 

Players  have  the  right  to  count,  or  otherwise  examine  the 
cards  of  the  dealer,  if  they  suspect  foul  play,  or  if  they  wish  to 
guard  against  it.  In  all  cases  the  dealer  has  the  right  to  the 
last  shuffle  and  cut ;  and  where  he  permits  a  player  to  shuffle 
or  cut,  it  is  an  extension  of  courtesy  to  the  player,  and  not  his 
right. 

THE    CHANCES    OF    THE     GAME. 

The  percentage  in  favor  of  the  bank  is  generally  estimated 
to  be  about  three  per  cent.,  but  the  average  is  evidently  more 
than  that.  Some  players  reduce  the  percentage  against  them 
to  almost  nothing,  while  other  players,  less  experienced,  give 
the  bank  enormous  advantages.  With  all  players  the  percent 
age  varies  with  each  turn  of  the  cards,  so  that  no  proper  esti 
mate  of  the  bank's  advantage  can  be  made.  One  thing,  how 
ever,  is  certain — all  regular  faro  players  are  reduced  to  poverty, 
while  dealers  and  bankers,  who  do  not  play  against  the  game, 
amass  large  fortunes;  and,  again,  the  higher  order  of  faro-rooms 
are  gorgeously  furnished — luxurious  suppers  and  costly  wines 


64  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

are  gratuitously  offered  to  players,  and  the  proprietors  are 
everywhere  distinguished  for  their  reckless  extravagance.  All 
this  is  sustained  by  the  percentage  of  the  game. 

Almost  every  faro-player  has  some  peculiar  system,  which  he 
strives  to  believe  will  beat  the  bank,  and  which  sometimes  does 
realize  his  hopes ;  but,  in  the  end,  all  systems  fail.  The  truth 
is,  the  game  is  based  upon  certain  mathematical  principles, 
giving  it  a  percentage  which  no  system  of  playing  can  overcome. 

CALLING    THE     LAST    THEM". 

The  bank's  greatest  percentage  is  when  players  call  the  last 
turn,  as  is  here  illustrated : 

Suppose  the  cards  remaining  hi  the  box  to  be  the  4,  5,  and 
6;  the  turn  may  come  4,  5 — 4,  6 — 5,  4 — 5,  6 — 6,  4,  or  6,  5. 
Therefore  it  may  come  six  different  ways,  but  he  who  calls  it 
correctly  receives  only  four  for  one,  or  four  times  the  amount  of 
his  stake. 

When  the  turn  happens  to  be  a  "cat,"  it  may  come  three 
different  ways,  but  the  bank  pays  only  two  for  one. 

No  better  exposition  could  be  given  regarding  the  rules,  laws, 
and  maxims  which  govern  faro  as  it  is  dealt  at  the  present  time 
in  this  country.  But  when  the  author  tells  us  that  the  percent 
age  in  favor  of  the  bank  is  generally  estimated  at  three  and  a  half 
per  cent.,  he  displays  his  absolute  want  of  knowledge  upon  that 
subject.  Faro  is  the  only  banking  game  of  chance  known  to  us, 
whose  percentage  cannot  be  clearly  defined.  The  best  algebraists 
among  the  gambling  community  of  this  country  have  been  un 
able  to  show  us  that  faro  has  one  and  three-fourths  per  cent,  in 
its  favor. 

The  author  also  informs  us  that  "  all  regular  faro-players  are 
reduced  to  poverty,  while  the  dealers  and  bankers,  who  do  not 
play  against  the  game,  amass  large  fortunes."  With  all  due  re 
spect,  he  does  not  know  what  he  is  talking  about.  He  must 
have  derived  his  information  from  hearsay,  and  could  never 
have  consulted  intelligent  gamblers  on  the  subject.  There  are 
thousands  of  persons  who  have  played  against  faro  games, 
almost  every  day  of  their  lives,  from  budding  manhood  to  old 
age,  who  have  never  been  reduced  to  poverty.  I  can  recall 


FAHO.  65 

many  such  cases  under  my  own  observation,  where  the  parties 
are  still  living,  with  ample  means  to  sustain  themselves  and  those 
belonging  to  them.  I  also  doubt  if  there  are  in  the  country,  or 
have  been  within  the  last  thirty  years,  twenty  persons  who  have 
amassed  a  fortune  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  by  faro- 
dealing.  I  have  known  within  that  period,  myself,  hundreds  of 
faro-bankers  who  have  never  made  more  than  a  respectable 
living  from  their  business. 

The  author  says:  "The  higher  order  of  faro-rooms  are 
gorgeously  furnished  and  decorated,  luxurious  suppers  are 
gratuitously  furnished  to  the  players,  together  with  costly  wines, 
and  the  proprietors  are  everywhere  distinguished  for  their  reck 
less  extravagance,  etc.,  and  all  this  is  sustained  by  the  percent 
age  on  the  game." 

The  author,  as  well  as  the  public  in  general,  has  a  most  erro 
neous  opinion  on  the  subject  of  gambling-houses  and  gamblers, 
and  is  as  unable  to  distinguish  between  fair  gambling,  and 
swindling  under  that  name,  as  to  understand  the  difference  be 
tween  a  card-sharper  and  an  honest  gambler.  To  separate 
these  characters,  to  place  gambling,  as  carried  on  in  this  country, 
in  its  true  light,  to  expose  "  card- sharping  "  in  all  its  deformity, 
before  the  reader,  is  the  principal  object  of  the  writer  of  this 
book.  On  this  matter  I  shall  speak  fully  in  its  proper  place. 

There  are  in  our  large  cities  many  of  the  upper  class  of  gam 
bling-houses  who  furnish  suppers  gratuitously  to  their  patrons ; 
and  some  of  those,  which  deal  what  is  called  "  day-games,"  give 
dinners,  but  none  furnish  wine  to  their  guests,  nor  are  any  of 
these  fitted  up  otherwise  than  respectably  and  comfortably, 
that  is  to  say,  neither  gorgeously  nor  luxuriously.  The  expense 
often  in  some  houses  amounts  to  ten  dollars  per  day,  and  in  others 
from  twenty-five  to  fifty  per  day — an  expense  which  any  bank 
having  select  players,  and  doing  a  fair  business,  can  well  afford. 
During  the  civil  war,  when  money  was  plentiful,  a  few  houses 
in  the  city  of  New  York  did  furnish  luxurious  suppers  and  costly 
wines  to  their  customers  j  but  these  houses  did  not  number  four 
in  all,  and  their  unusual  entertainment  did  not  last  over  a  year. 
The  houses  which  furnished  them  could  well  afford  to  do  so,  as 
each  of  them  had  an  opportunity  to  win  or  lose  daily  from 
twenty  to  thirty  thousand  dollars,  and  the  amount  made  from 
splits  by  such  heavy  play  was  enormous. 


66  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

In  New  Orleans  it  was  customary  for  such  houses  as  gave  en 
tertainment,  to  set  ordinary  claret  wine  before  their  guests,  but 
no  other  kind  was  given  by  any  of  the  "square"  gambling  hous 
es  in  that  city. 

I  am  Ted  to  believe  that  we  are  indebted  to  the  French  for  the 
game  of  faro,  from  the  fact  that  all  the  peculiar  technical  phras 
es  used  in  playing  the  game  were  originally  in  that  language. 
As  "punters"  (players);  "coucJie,  or  enjeu"  (a  bet);  "coup" 
(a  turn);  "doublet"  (splits);  "fun pour  Vautre"  (stand  off);  "  op 
pose"  (copper  bet).  All  these  terms  were  in  common  use  until 
American  innovations  were  introduced  into  the  game,  which 
commenced  some  forty  years  ago.  It  first  flourished  in  Louisi 
ana,  and  from  there  spread  throughout  the  Union.  When  gam 
bling-houses  first  were  lic.ensed  in  New  Orleans  (some  forty-five 
years  ago),  faro  was  played  upon  a  large  oval  table  covered 
with  green  cloth;  on  one  side  was  the  "tailleur"  (dealer);  and 
on  the  other  his  "croupier"  (look-out);  dealing-boxes  had  not 
then  been  invented,  and  gold,  silver  and  bank-notes  answered 
the  purpose  of  checks. 

When  the  dealer  had  shuffled  and  cut  his  cards,  he  held  the 
deck  firmly  in  his  left  hand  with  the  face  downward.  When  the 
players  had  made  their  bets,  he  turned  over  the-  top  card  and 
placed  it  face  upwards  on  the  table.  This  card  was  for  the 
bank.  Then  in  the  same  manner  he  exposed  the  next  card,  this 
being  for  the  players.  As  the  dealer  made  his  turns  in  this  wise, 
his  "croupier"  took  the  bets  the  bank  won  and  paid  those  which 
it  lost — the  sole  duty  of  the  dealer  being  to  attend  to  the  cards ; 
the  croupier  fulfilling  all  the  other  duties  of  the  game.  These 
games  were  generally  with  a  limit  of  twenty -five  dollars,  but  the 
bankers  would  increase  the  limit  when  rivalry  sprang  up  be 
tween  different  houses,  in  order  to  draw  patronage,  or  when  a 
rich  customer  refused  to  play  unless  the  limit  was  increased  for 
his  especial  accommodation. 

In  such  cases  the  limit  was  usually  raised  by  giving  to  the 
player  the  privilege  of  going  his  paroli.  For  example:  if  he  bet 
twenty-five  dollars  and  won,  he  could  let  his  stake  and  its 
product  remain,  which  allowed  him  to  bet  fifty  dollars.  Some 
times  the  paroli  was  allowed  to  be  repeated  twice,  which  enabled 
the  player  to  realize  (supposing  both  stakes  to  have  won)  one 
hundred  and  seventy-five  dollars.  This  method  of  betting  is 


FARO.  67 

termed  a  running  limit,  and  has  been  almost  universally  adopted 
by  the  faro-bankers  of  the  United  States.  Bankers  made  their 
limits  to  suit  their  capital,  small  games  made  their  limits  thus : 
Three  dollars  the  amount  of  the  first  stake,  with  the  privilege 
of  paroling  it  twice  and  taking  down  twenty-four  dollars.  Other 
banks  made  their  limits  six  and  a  quarter,  with  the  privilege  of 
running  it  to  fifty.  Still  others,  twelve  and  a  half,  with  the  priv 
ilege  of  running  it  to  one  hundred,  while  others  allowed  the  first 
stake  to  be  twenty-five,  with  the  privilege  of  paroling  it  to  two 
hundred  dollars,  and  a  very  few  made  their  limit  fifty,  with 
paroli  to  four  hundred. 

Dealing-boxes  were  invented  for  protecting  the  bank.  How 
ever  careful  a  dealer  might  be  with  the  pack  of  cards  hi  his 
hand,  scores  of  sharp  eyes  were  ever  on  the  alert  to  take  advan 
tage  of  the  least  scratch,  speck,  or  bend,  and  to  turn  it  to  their 
own  account.  In  this  case  it  was  the  banker  only,  who  washable 
to  become  the  victim  of  wily  sharpers.  But  about  the  year 
1833,  or  perhaps  a  year  earlier,  it  was  discovered  that  the  player 
also  required  some  protection.  Somewhere  about  this  period  an 
old  German,  named  Swigel,  made  his  appearance  in  New 
Orleans.  This  worthy  old  gentleman  was  direct  from  Europe, 
and  could  neither  speak  English  or  French.  After  taking  a 
bird's-eye  view  of  that  fast  city,  he  concluded  that  he  could 
make  a  fortune  there  running  a  faro-bank.  By  his  address  and 
money  combined,  he  managed  to  procure  a  half  interest  in  one 
which  was  located  in  one  of  the  principal  gambling-houses  in 
the  city.  For  more  than  six  months  he  went  along  swimmingly ; 
his  game  having  won  in  that  time  some  sixty  thousand  dollars. 
The  principal  moneyed  gamblers  played  against  his  bank,  be 
cause  he  gave  to  them  a  larger  limit  than  any  other  banker  in 
New  Orleans  was  willing  to  do.  In  fact,  at  times  the  old  fellow 
did  not  believe  the  limit  of  a  faro -bank  was  worthy  of  a  thought. 
Many  people,  observing  his  eccentric  habits,  believed  him  to  be 
insane,  or  at  any  rate  "  a  little  deranged ;"  but,  in  spite  of  all,  he 
managed  to  haul  in  whatever  money  was  bet  against  the  bank. 
He  never  associated  with  any  one,  and  in  the  mornings  could  be 
seen  taking  his  solitary  walk  in  the  suburbs  of  the  city.  lu 
these  promenades  he  always  carried  hi  his  hands  a  pack  of  cards, 
and  kept  his  arms  in  constant  motion,  as  if  dealing  for  his  play 
ers.  Finally  the  old  fellow  was  one  evening  detected  in  the  act 


68  WANDERINGS  OP  A  VAGABOND. 

of  taking  the  second  card  from  the  pack  while  dealing  a  heavy 
game.  This  operation  of  course  altered  the  turn,  by  throwing 
the  card  which  belonged  to  the  player  in  favor  of  the  bank.  In 
the  general  row  that  ensued,  the  worthy  old  gentleman  made 
his  escape  in  safety,  and  was  never  heard  of  afterwards  hi  the 
city  of  New  Orleans.  His  bank,  which  contained  at  the  time 
about  six  thousand  dollars,  was  seized  by  the  players,  together 
•with  his  cards,  which  were  discovered  to  be  all  privately  marked. 
This,  however,  would  have  been  of  no  use  to  him,  unless  he 
could  have  changed  the  position  of  the  cards  in  the  turn,  a  thing 
which  he  accomplished  with  such  unerring  dexterity  that  the 
shrewdest  gamblers  in  the  land  failed  to  detect  it  for  months. 
Though  the  house  shared  equally  in  the  profits,  it  is  more  than 
probable  that  none  of  its  proprietors  were  in  the  old  fellow's 
confidence. 

As  long  as  public  gaming  was  allowed  to  exist  in  New 
Orleans,  rules  and  maxims  for  playing  faro  were  established,  but 
when,  in  1836,  the  license-law  was  repealed,  selfish  men,  in  order 
to  benefit  their  pockets  thereby,  foisted  upon  the  game  many 
unjust  laws  and  innovations.  The  cases  were  not  allowed  to  be 
kept,  bets  once  placed  on  the  "lay-out"  were  not  to  be  removed 
until  an  action  on  them  had  taken  place.  The  object  of  this  was 
to  keep  players  in  ignorance  of  which  cards  were  "cases,"  and 
to  confine  their  bets  to  double,  treble,  and  quadruple  cards. 
"  Hock"  was  revived  by  many  bankers,  while  in  licensed  gamb 
ling-houses  it  was  thrown  from  the  game.  But  it  was  only  cross 
road  gamblers  and  those  who  dealt  faro-games  at  race  tracks, 
that  claimed  "hockelty."  The  only  chance  a  player  had  to  es 
cape  "hock,"  was  when  the  cards  in  the  last  turn  were  all 
"  cases."  If  any  two  of  these  three  cards  connected,  he  could  so 
place  his  bet  as  to  include  the  connecting  cards,  and  by  so  doing 
either  won,  lost,  or  had  a  stand-off  for  it.  But  if  a  "  cat "  was 
in  the  last  turn,  he  had  either  to  risk  losing  his  money  in  "hock," 
or  to  risk  having  his  bet  split,  and  he  could  not  take  the  latter 
chance  unless  the  case  and  the  double  card  were  connectors. 
Should  the  last  three  cards  be,  for  example,  the  king,  four,  and 
seven,  none  of  which  connect — and  in  those  days  no  bet  was  al 
lowed  to  include  any  card  which  did  not  connect — the  players 
who  had  bets  on  any  of  the  cards  mentioned  could  not  remove 
them,  thus  giving  to  the  bank  a  percentage  of  33i  per  cent,  on 
all  stakes  placed  on  case  cards  on  the  last  turn. 


69 

Competition,  and  a  more  liberal  spirit  on  the  part  of  gamblers, 
have  destroyed  the  old-fogy  system  of  playing,  and  have  divest 
ed  faro  of  the  fraudulent  rules  foisted  upon  it  by  unscrupulous 
men.  For  this  desirable  revolution  we  are  indebted  to  eastern 
gamblers,  more  especially  those  of  New  York.  The  change  was 
gradual,  and  it  was  only  after  a  struggle  of  years  in  duration 
that  faro  was  brought  to  its  present  perfection.  First,  "  hockel- 
ty  "  was  abandoned,  then  case's  were  allowed  to  be  kept  by  the 
players  with  counters,  or  checks,  to  mark  the  game.  This  soon 
led  to  the  introduction  of  "  cue-boards,"  or  "  case-keepers,"  and 
shortly  after  that  to  "cue-papers."  But  the  great  struggle 
was  between  the  running  and  the  open  limit :  the  former  being 
far  more  advantageous  to  the  bank.  In  the  first  place  it  is  ad 
vantageous  to  a  bank  to  compel  a  player  to  win  his  bet  three 
times  in  order  to  win  his  highest  limit.  The  odds  are  seven  to 
one  he  will  not  succeed.  Besides  this  disadvantage,  the  running 
game  forced  reckless  players  to  play  on  double,  treble,  and 
quadruple  cards,  which  they  often  did  in  order  to  run  their  first 
stake  to  the  extreme  limit,  so  as  to  bet  it  on  a  case  card.  The 
bankers  would  not  allow  players  to  pickup  their  bets  from  double, 
treble,  or  quadruple  cards,  until  an  action  had  taken  place  on 
them;  but  the  owner  of  a  bet  had  a  right  to  include  with  it  any 
connecting  card  or  cards.  The  greedy  bankers  also  exercised 
their  arbitrary  rules  to  such  an  extent,  that  they  would  not  even 
allow  a  player  to  bar  his  bet  for  a  single  turn  after  he  had  once 
won  it,  or  its  paroli ;  and  if  he  removed  it  from  the  lay-out,  for 
even  a  single  turn,  his  next  bet  was  reduced  to  the  original  limit. 
It  will  be  easily  understood,  from  this  compulsory  method  of 
dealing  faro,  that  the  object  was  to  drive  the  players  upon  double 
cards,  thereby  enhancing  the  percentage  of  the  bank  by  splitting 
their  bets. 

A  faro-bank  dealing  the  "  copper"  game,  and  with  a  limit  of 
twenty-five  dollars  and  one  hundred  dollars,  that  is,  the  privilege 
to  paroli  twenty-five  to  two  hundred  dollars,  can  be  beaten  by  a 
player  at  a  single  deal,  out  of  two  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
seventy-five  dollars ;  but  if  the  player  lost  every  time  possible 
on  the  deal,  the  bank  could  only  win  from  him  one  thousand  two 
hundred  and  fifty. 

An  open  limit  means  when  a  bank  takes  a  stated  amount, 
which  may  be  bet  by  a  player  any  tune  during  the  deal.  A  game 


70  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

of  this  sort,  dealt  with  a  limit  of  fifty-four  dollars,  would  be  equal  in 
money  to  a  running  limit  of  twenty-five,  and  one  hundred  dollars. 
Either  of  these  games  may  be  beaten  on  a  single  deal,  providing 
no  split  happens,  out  of  two  thousand  eight  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  dollars,  and  the  bank,  with  an  open  limit,  may  win  the  same 
amount  on  a  deal;  while  the  one  with  the  running  limit  could 
only  win  one  thousand  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  But  as 
the  odds  are  98,  729,  443, 094,  784'to  1,  it  is  not  probable  that 
we  sliall  ever  hear  of  any  person  winning  or  losing  on  every  card 
throughout  a  deal  at  faro.  This  calculation  is  merely  intended  to 
show  the  difference  between  what  can  be  won  and  lost  during  a 
deal  of  faro  having  an  open  limit,  and  one  having  a  running  limit. 
The  running  game  in  bad  luck  can  lose  double  the  amount  it  can 
win  in  good  luck;  while  the  open  game  can  win  as  much  on  a  deal 
as  it  can  lose.  It  would  appear,  at  the  first  glance,  that  the  open 
game  would  be  the  best  for  the  banker;  but  such  is  not  the  case. 
The  paroli  is  a  heavy  percentage  hi  favor  of  the  bank,  besides 
having  atendency  to  force  players,  as  I  have  already  stated,  on 
double  cards ;  thus  giving  an  opportunity  to  split  the  bets,  which 
can  in  a  great  measure  bo  avoided  at  the  open  games;  for  the 
cautious  player  may  greatly  reduce  the  percentage,  by  playing 
on  small  double  cards  until  a  case  appears,  when,  if  he  wishes, 
he  can  bet  the  limit,  and  have  an  even  chance  for  his  money. 

The  open  game  of  faro  was  first  introduced  into  New  England, 
and  shortly  after  made  its  appearance  in  the  city  of  New  York ; 
where,  hi  the  course  of  a  few  years,  it  usurped  the  place  of  the 
running  game  altogether.  No  faro  games  with  any  open  limits 
were  dealt  in  the  Southern  and  Western  States  until  after  the 
Mexican  war.  That  event  exerted  considerable  influence  on 
the  introduction  of  the  open  game  into  the  cities  of  New  Orleans, 
St.  Louis,  and  Cincinnati.  When  the  City  of  Mexico  was  cap 
tured  by  the  American  forces,  many  faro  dealers  from  the  States 
flocked  there.  They  found  on  then*  arrival  there  that  monte  was 
the  attracting  game ;  even  professionals  played  against  it  rather 
than  the  small  faro  games,  which  were  dealt  with  running  limits 
of  twenty-five  and  one  hundred  dollars,  and  many  even  less. 
There  was  plenty  of  money,  not  only  among  those  gamblers  who 
followed  the  army,  but  among  contractors,  merchants,  and  officers, 
numbers  of  whom  would  be  willing  to  patronize  faro,  if  dealt  on 
a  liberal  scale.  A  rivalry  relative  to  procuring  players  sprung 


FABO.  71 

up  among  the  gamblers,  especially  among  those  newly  arrived. 
Banks  were  opened  with  running  limits  of  fifty  and  two  hundred 
dollars,  then  with  limits  of  one  hundred  and  four  hundred  dollars. 
Such  limits  were  only  seen  at  the  Mississippi  land-sales,  and  in 
Mobile,  when  Brandon  money  was  issued  by  the  cord.  Finally  a 
Tennessee  gambler  named  Andrew  Rogers  opened  a  bank,  and 
declared  his  limit  to  be  an  open  two  hundred  dollars.  The  idea 
was  new  in  that  place,  and  the  players  could  bet  their  money  as 
they  pleased,  without  being  trammeled  by  old-fogy  notions  and 
rules.  The  new  game  was  a  success,  and  received  the  principal 
patronage,  and  several  others,  not  to  be  outdone,  also  proclaimed 
their  games  to  be  an  open  limit  of  two  hundred  dollars.  Com 
petition  actually  forced  the  new  game  on  many  bankers  who 
thought  it  had  no  percentage  in  its  favor.  But  they  soon  dis 
covered  their  error.  Many  of  these  bankers,  when  peace  was  con 
cluded,  opened  their  games  in  New  Orleans,  St.  Louis,  Cincinnati, 
Louisville,  and  the  watering-places  of  Kentucky.  These  games 
were  dealt  with  an  open  limit  of  one  hundred,  and  sometimes  fifty 
dollars.  From  that  time  the  open  game  became,  throughout  the 
Southwest,  extremely  popular,  and  would  undoubtedly  have 
broken  up  all  the  running  games  in  the  country,  had  not  the 
California  excitement  at  this  time  drained  the  country  of  its 
most  liberal  gamblers,  leaving  behind  only  an  old-fogy  class,  who 
were  terrified  at  the  very  name  of  "open  game  of  faro."  So  this 
game  was  left  exclusively  to  the  city  of  New  York  and  the  New 
England  States,  in  which  last  section  it  had  its  origin. 

The  principal  faro-bankers  who  reached  California  early  in 
1849,  had  been  in  the  City  of  Mexico.  All  these  set  up  the  banks 
with  open  limits.  When  the  public  gaming-houses  had  got  well 
started,  the  proprietors  adopted  the  running  limits  of  twenty-five 
and  one  hundred  dollars  in  their  public  saloons;  but  in  their  pri 
vate  rooms  all  their  faro  games  were  dealt  with  open  limits,  and 
when  the  New  York  and  New  England  gamblers  arrived,  they 
also  dealt  it.  After  the  suppression  of  public  gambling-houses, 
there  was  not  a  running  game  of  faro  in  the  State  of  California. 
The  returning  California  gamblers,  with  the  assistance  of  those 
from  New  York  city  and  New  England  States,  finally  wiped  out 
every  vestige  of  it  from  the  United  States,  and  scarcely  a  game 
of  the  kind  could  be  found  there  after  the  year  1859,  and  'tis  now 
extremely  doubtful  whether  one  can  be  found  on  the  continent 
of  North  America. 


72  WANDERINGS  OP  A  VAGABOND. 

"  Oppos^  "  was  identified  with  the  old  game  of  faro,  as  men 
tioned  by  Hoyle  in  his  book  of  games.  It  means,  translated  in 
to  English,  "  copper- betting."  But  the  early  faro  bankers  of 
this  country  expunged  it  from  the  game,  believing  it  to  be  un 
favorable  to  their  interests.  They  were  unable  to  understand 
that  the  more  inducements  they  offered  to  players  to  stake  their 
money,  the  more  chances  the  bank  had  to  split  it.  Still,  copper- 
betting  was  kept  up  in  spite  of  the  bankers,  until  it  again  found 
a  place  in  the  game.  Offers  would  be  made  and  taken  among 
players  that  such  or  such  a  card  would  win  for  the  bank ;  such 
wagers  were  termed  "flyers,"  and  were  frequently  taken  by  the 
bankers  themselves.  When  a  player  offered  to  make  a  bet  of 
this  kind,  and  the  dealer  or  any  of  his  assistants  accepted  it,  the 
stake  was  placed  on  the  designated  card  and  a  copper  cent 
placed  upon  it  to  distinguish  it  from  the  other  bets  on  the  "  lay 
out."  About  the  year  1845  the  faro-dealers  of  New  York  city 
received  copper  bets  as  a  constituent  part  of  the  game  for  the 
first  time.  From  that  city  it  spread  through  the  State,  and  was 
adopted  by  the  dealers  of  the  New  England  States.  But  the 
dealers  of  Philadelphia  and  all  cities  south  or  west  of  it  refused 
it  until  many  years  later,  and  even  then  it  was  forced  upon  them 
by  competition.  In  1853  the  first  copper  game  was  opened  in 
Philadelphia,  and  was  introduced  by  a  party  of  returned  Califor 
nia  gamblers.  It  was  three  years  later  before  one  was  opened 
in  New  Orleans,  and  but  few  of  the  faro-bankers  south  of  the 
Potomac  River  or  west  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains  adopted  it 
before  the  year  1857 ;  nor  would  they  have  done  so  then,  had  it 
not  been  for  the  gamblers  from  California,  New  York,  and  the 
New  England  States.  These  nomads  were  traveling  over  the 
country  and  setting  up  their  games  wherever  players  could  be 
found;  and,  by  playing  the  copper  game,  succeeded  in  leaving 
the  local  banks  deserted — a  proceeding  which  forced  the  deal 
ers  to  adopt  it  also.  In  this  manner  it  was  rendered  a  constitu 
ent  part  of  faro.  Notwithstanding  the  rivalry  existing  among 
the  faro-bankers  in  the  city  of  Mexico,  and  their  bids  to  procure 
players,  so  fearful  were  they  of  the  copper-game,  that  but  one 
bank  in  the  city  adopted  it,  that  being  the  one  mentioned  as 
running  with  an  open  limit.  Some  of  these  bankers  would  at 
times  risk  their  money  on  games  with  open  limit,  but  refused  to 
play  the  copper.  We  find  a  few  years  later  that  this  dread  had 


FAEO.  73 

somewhat  worn  off.  Most  of  the  first -class  gamblers  who  came 
early  to  California  dealt  it.  One  was  opened  in  San  Francisco 
early  in  1849  that  dealt  the  copper,  and  without  a  limit.  Those 
in  public  saloons  played  a  running  limit,  but  admitted  the  cop 
per  only  on  the  last  turn.  In  fact,  nearly  all  the  games  through 
out  the  State,  that  dealt  a  running  limit,  conducted  their  busi 
ness  in  a  like  manner,  but  those  who  dealt  an  open  limit  played 
the  copper. 

It  was  the  prevailing  belief  among  a  large  majority  of  the 
gambling  fraternity  that  the  copper  game  was  disadvantageous 
to  the  bank,  and  so  impressed  were  many  of  them  with  this  idea, 
that  they  would  take  no  stock  in  such  a  game.  They  also  be 
lieved  that  more  cases  would  lose  than  win  in  a  stated  number  of 
deals.  For  two  or  three  years  after  the  discovery  of  gold,  gamb 
lers  could  be  found  daily  in  front  of  faro-banks,  endeavoring  to 
solve  this  problem  by  coppering  the  cases  with  even  stakes,  but 
most  of  them  got  the  worst  of  the  bargain  and  retired  "dead 
broke." 

For  many  years  after  coppering  became  an  established  part  of 
the  game,  it  was  the  general  belief  that  coppering  a  double  card 
was  disadvantageous  to  the  player,  regardless  of  splits.  "If 
two  cards,"  they  argued,  "  lie  together  in  the  dealing-box,  they 
must  split,  or  the  first  that  appears  must  win ;  consequently  the 
bank  will  either  split  the  bet  or  win  it ;  whereas,  if  the  bet  had 
been  played  open  it  must  win  if  the  cards  do  not  divide."  In 
that  case  the  player  loses  but  half  his  money,  which  is  tanta 
mount  to  his  betting  one  to  two.  Such  reasoning  is  very  illusive, 
but  it  has  its  hold  on  many  of  the  gamblers  of  the  present  day. 
We  will  say,  for  instance,  that  the  player  coppers  the  double 
ten  with  a  dollar  j  if  the  card  does  not  split  it  wins  and  he  loses. 
If  it  was  destined  the  first  ten  should  win,  so  was  it  that  the 
second  should  lose,  for  it  lies  under  that  exposed  on  the  box ; 
then  let  the  player  copper  the  ten  for  another  dollar,  and  he  is 
even ;  it,  in  fact,  equalizes  the  whole  matter.  To  support  their 
argument  against  coppering  double  cards,  they  say,  u  When  a 
card  splits,  the  first  one  on  the  turn  comes  a  winner  for  the  play 
er,  when  the  next  one  dashes  reality  aside  and  makes  him  lose 
half  his  money ;  thus  making  a  difference  of  seventy-five  per 
cent,  against  him  in  appearance."  "  On  the  contrary,"  they  say, 
"had  the  bet  no  copper  on  it,  the  appearance  of  the  first  card  on 


74  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

the  turn  warns  the  player  that  his  money  is  lost,  when  the  agree 
able  sight  of  the  second  returns  half  his  money,  thus  in  appear 
ance  making  him  a  gainer  by  fifty  per  cent,  by  the  turn." 

From  such  reasoning  as  this  we  receive  no  instructions  in  the 
doctrine  of  chances,  and  they  only  serve  to  display  the  sudden 
transitions  from  sorrow  to  joy  and  from  joy  to  sorrow,  which  take 
place  in  the  mind  of  the  player,  as  he  watches  the  issue  of  his 
stakes  while  the  dealer  is  making  a  turn.  If  a  card  split  it  was 
destined  to  do  so  when  the  player  placed  his  stake  upon  it,  and 
also  destined  he  should  lose  half  his  stake  if  he  allowed  it  to  re 
main  until  the  split  took  place,  and  whether  he  placed  a  copper 
on  his  stake  or  left  it  open,  he  still  loses  half,  no  more,  no  less. 
Nor  could  the  copper,  on  or  off  his  bet,  influence  it  favorably  or 
otherwise.  All  process  of  reasoning  to  the  contrary  is  fallacious. 
The  bank  has  a  decided  advantage  over  bets  placed  on  double, 
treble,  and  quadruple  cards,  because  when  a  card  splits  it  takes 
half  the  money  found  upon  it.  Upon  case  cards  the  bank  has  no 
percentage ;  all  reasoning  to  the  contrary  is  defective. 

Calls  were  first  adopted  in  the  city  of  New  York  about  the 
same  time  as  the  copper  game,  and  after  a  great  length  of  time 
finally  became  one  of  the  principles  belonging  to  faro.  Still, 
there  are  yet  to  be  found  in  the  South  and  West,  bankers  who 
refuse  to  receive  them  at  their  games,  and  who  are  incapable  of 
comprehending  that  "calls"  are  the  heaviest  percentage  in  the 
game  of  faro.  When  there  remains  in  the  box  but  one  turn,  the 
player  has  to  guess  the  order  in  which  the  cards  will  appear,  in 
order  to  win  his  call.  The  chances  are  five  to  one  against  his 
doing  so ;  yet,  if  he  succeeds,  he  is  only  paid  four  times  his  bet, 
which  makes  the  percentage  on  calls  twenty  per  cent,  in  favor  of 
the  bank.  On  a  "cat"  it  is  two  to  one  that  the  player  cannot 
guess  the  order  in  which  the  cards  will  appear,  and  if  he 
succeeds  he  is  paid  twice  the  amount  of  his  stake.  It  is  gen 
erally  conceded  by  intelligent  gamblers,  that  the  bank  has  no 
percentage  on  "calls"  made  on  a  "cat." 

Many  mathematicians  have  set  their  brains  to  work  to  discov 
er  the  exact  percentage  on  faro,  but  in  every  instance  they  have 
ignominiously  failed.  They  have  told  us  that  on  one  thousand 
deals  of  the  game,  the  splits  on  each  deal  will  average  one  and 
one-half.  Some  of  these  astute  calculators  have  told  us  that  two 
splits  per  deal  is  a  fair  average,  but  it  seems  none  of  them,  as 


DEPARTURE.  75 

yet,  have  come  to  any  definite  conclusion  on  that  or  any  of  these 
points.  They  have  also  told  us  that  a  pack  of  cards  in  twenty- 
five  turns,  counting  the  "soda"  and  "hock"  as  "dead"  cards, 
can  come  six  hundred  and  two  different  ways,  counting  among 
that  number,  twenty-five  splits  which  may  take  place.  They 
have  calculated  the  chances  of  quadruple,  triple,  and  double 
cards  splitting  at  any  stage  of  a  deal.  Still  these  clear  heads 
are  unable  to  arrive  at  the  exact  percentage  on  the  game.  Some 
think  it  will  reach  two  and  one-half  per  cent.,  while  a  majority 
of  the  most  intelligent  gamblers  in  the  country  believe  it  will  not 
exceed  one  and  one-half. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

DEPARTURE. 

The  assiduous  attention  which  I  paid  to  the  Major  and  his 
patrons  completely  won  his  heart,  and  gained  me  the  friendship 
of  that  remarkable  man.  I  "  looked  out"  for  his  faro  game,  and 
made  deals  for  him,  whenever  he  was  tired.  From  the  first 
night  on  which  he  opened  his  game,  he  had  a  full  table  of  play 
ers,  who  were  steadily  eating  up  his  bank ;  night  after  night  it 
lost,  and  night  after  night  the  smiling  Major  paid  his  losses  with 
as  much  good  humor  as  if  the  money  were  going  into  his  pockets 
instead  of  out  of  them.  The  blind  goddess  seemed  to  have  de 
serted  him,  but  he  never  complained.  He  dealt  a  running  limit 
of  six  and  a  quarter,  and  twenty-five,  and  confined  his  players 
strictly  to  that  limit.  But  Clarke,  Rathbon,  Willis  and  Giles 
were  the  only  players  who  would  venture  that  amount.  The 
players,  being  successful,  would  usually  win  enough  to  satisfy 
them  for  the  nonce,  and  leave  the  room  as  early  as  eleven 
o'clock.  If  Giles  or  myself  offered  our  condolence  to  the  Major, 
on  this  unsatisfactory  state  of  affairs,  he  would  reply,  "I'll  win 
when  my  time  comes,  and  not  before,  sir."  After  the  players  had 
left,  it  was  the  custom  of  the  Major  and  Giles  to  have  a  "set-to" 
at  politics  over  their  glasses.  The  latter  was  a  whig  of  the  most 
rabid  sort,  and  a  great  admirer  of  Henry  Clay.  The  Major  es 
poused  the  cause  of  no  party  or  individual  who  had  not  received 


6  WANDERIXGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

the  stamp  of  approval  from  Virginia.  He  disliked  Clay  and 
Calhoun  for  no  other  reason  than  that  they  were  not  Virginians. 
To  him  both  they  and  Jackson  were  second-rate  lawyers,  the  lat 
ter  of  whom  he  denounced  as  a  "  narrow-minded  bigot."  "  The 
most  dangerous  man  that  ever  sat  in  the  Presidential  chair,"  he 
said  one  evening  to  Giles,  and  "  what's  more,  sir,  the  damned 
party  carrying  out  his  infernal  policy  will  destroy  the  country  if 
Virginia  don't  come  to  the  rescue." 

"Or  Clay,"  said  Giles,  quietly. 

"He's  a  damned  humbug,  sir;  as  great  a  humbug  as  was  ever 
foisted  on  the  country.  Virginia,  sir,  is  the  main  prop  and  stay 
of  the  land." 

"Virginia  be  damned!  What  can  it  do?"  demanded  Giles, 
contemptuously,  nettled  at  this  unwarrantable  attack  on  his  fa 
vorite  hero. 

"  Virginia !  Virginia  do, !"  exclaimed  the  Major,  rising  from  his 
seat,  astounded  at  this  audacious  remark ;  "Virginia  is  the  Uni 
ted  States,  sir !  let  Virginia  once  raise  her  voice,  sir,  and  Clay, 
Calhoun,  Jackson,  and  the  infernal  politicians  who  support 
them,  will  be  scattered  to  the  devil,  sir." 

This  forcible  argument  knocked  Giles  completely  out  of  time. 
'Twas  too  deep  for  him.  His  ideas  on  politics  might  be  de 
scribed  as  rather  limited.  He  knew  there  must  be  two  parties, 
one  good  and  the  other  bad,  and  that  it  was  the  cardinal  duty 
of  every  partisan  to  praise  his  party  and  damn  the  opposing  one. 

The  Major  had  lost  steadily  every  night  for  two  weeks.  Clark 
had  won  from  his  bank,  at  the  various  sittings,  sums  varying 
from  $50  to  $100,  and  had  never  made  a  losing.  Giles  had 
won  about  three  hundred,  and  all  the  players  had  beaten  it  out 
of  various  small  amounts,  nightly.  One  evening,  after  the  play 
ers  had  gone,  and  Giles  had  also  departed,  the  Major  and  myself 
sat  alone  in  the  tailor-shop,  the  Major  at  one  of  the  tables,  con 
sulting  his  memorandum-book :  "Twenty-one  hundred  and  sixty- 
dollars  loser!  pretty  good  losing,  that,  Jack,  at  a  limit  of  six  dol 
lars  and  a  quarter,  and  twenty-five !"  said  the  Major,  peering  at 
me  over  the  tops  of  his  spectacles. 

"Bad  luck,  Major;  but  it's  a  long  lane  has  no  turning.  I  hope 
better  will  come  after  a  while,"  I  replied,  in  a  consoling  tone. 

"Not  here  at  least,"  he  answered,  calmly. 

"  Why  not  here,  Major?" 


DEPARTURE.  77 

11  Because  I  shall  leave  this  place  on  the  first  boat  for  Wheel 
ing." 

" Indeed!  'I'm  sorry  to  hear  you  say  that,  Major.  But  why 
do  you  go  ?  " 

"  Because  I've  no  more  money  to  bank  my  game  with,  Jack." 

"  Well,  Major,  if  that's  what's  the  matter,  don't  go,"  said  I, 
springing  to  my  feet;  "I've  got  a  thousand  dollars,  and  will 
deal  it  off  between  us."  He  had  closed  his  account  book,  and 
was  in  the  act  of  putting  it  in  his  breast  pocket,  when  I  made 
this  proposition.  He  stopped  as  if  suddenly  petrified,  and  stared 
at  me  in  speechless  amazement.  Without  giving  him  time  to 
recover  from  his  astonishment,  I  told  him  that  I  had  a  sum  of 
money,  which  I  had  won  at  various  times'  at  cards,  that  I  was 
anxious  to  make  more  with  it,  and  that  I  believed  a  better 
opportunity  than  the  present  could  not  be  found  to  invest  it.  "  If 
we  lose  the  money,  Major,"  I  concluded,  "  I'll  wait  on  you  until 
you're  able  to  pay  me  back  your  share  of  it,  and  you  need  have 
no  delicacy,  on  the  score  of  my  age,  about  being  interested  with 
me,  because  I  understand  perfectly  what  I  am  about,  and  I 
don't  wish  it  to  be  known  that  I  am  in  any  way  connected  with 
you." 

"  But  what  about  Giles  1 "  the  Major  finally  found  his  tongue 
to  ask. 

"I'm  my  own  master,  Major.  Giles  knows  nothing  about  my 
affairs  whatever,  and,  what's  more,  I  do  not  wish  to  have  him." 

"Jack,  you're  a  generous  fellow;  and  I'm  glad  to  find  you  so 
well  fixed,  my  boy  !  but  take  my  advice,  let  gambling  go  to  the 
devil.  Remember,  my  boy,  a  gambler  can  never  attain  an 
honorable  position  in  society.  The  money  which  you  have  saved 
will  start  you  in  some  honorable  business,  and,  if  properly  man 
aged,  may  be  the  foundation  of  a  fortune." 

"Very  good  advice,  sir,  but  quite  thrown  away  on  me.  I've 
already  made  my  election.  When  I  made  this  offer  to  you,  it 
was  because  it  was  for  my  interest  to  do  so.  There's  money 
here,  plenty  of  it,  and  I  believe  that  faro  can  win  it." 

"  That's  true,  my  boy.  But,  Jack,  I  can't  think  of  losing  your 
money !  That  would  be  a  cursed  shame — a  boy  like  you ! " 

"If  you  should,  I  should  not  cry  about  it,  and  should  we  lose 
the  first  thousand,  I've  got  another  back  of  that,  and  I'll  come 
up  with  it.  Should  both  be  lost,  I  shan't  complain,  and  I  don't 


78  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

want  any  one  to  suspect  that  I  furnish  any  part  of  the  money. 
You  need  have  no  scruples  at  all  about  the  business,  Major." 

"Very  well,  Jack;  I  accept  your  offer,  on  your  own  terms;  and 
if  we  should  be  unfortunate,  whatever  my  part  of  the  loss  may 
be,  I'll  pay  it  to  you  within  a  mouth  afterwards." 

The  following  day  I  went  to  the  Major's  room  at  the  "Old 
Hickory,"  and  handed  to  him  a  thousand  dollars.  Whether  his 
bad  luck  had  run  out,  or  my  good  fortune  carried  him  with  me, 
is  a  mystery  unexplained,  and  by  me  unexplainable ;  but  cer 
tain  it  is  that  after  I  had  banked  the  Major,  he  closed  his  bank 
winner  every  night  while  he  remained  in  the  town.  When  the 
players  began  losing,  the  game  extended  much  farther  into  the 
night  than  formerly,  land  sometimes  did  not  close  until  daylight. 
We  did  not  make  a  losing  for  ten  nights,  and  in  that  time  the 
bank  won  about  $3,100.  Our  customers  were  now  playing  on 
the  raw  material,  as  whatever  money  they  had  won  from  the 
Major's  game  they  had  already  lost  at  ours,  with  considerable 
more  besides;  in  consequence  of  which,  several  began  to  show- 
signs  of  ill  temper.  Clarke  particularly  had,  on  several  occasions, 
made  himself  disagreeable  at  the  game.  He  had  lost  all  his 
former  winnings,  and  about  $700  more.  On  the  tenth  night 
after  that  on  which  the  Major  and  myself  had  entered  into  our 
copartnership,  when  Clarke  entered  the  room,  I  immediately 
observed  he  had  been  drinking,  and  apprehended  we  should 
have  trouble  with  him.  We  had  a  full  table  of  players,  and  the 
Major  was  winning  every  bet  laid  down  against  him.  Clarke 
joined  in  the  play,  and  lost  $200,  and  then  demanded  of  the 
Major  $100  worth  of  checks,  saying  if  he  lost  he  would  go  over 
to  the  store  and  get  the  money.  The  Major  told  him  politely 
that  he  made  it  his  rule  to  credit  no  person  for  checks. 

"  I  couldn't  expect  anything  better  from  a  low-flung  blackleg 
running  about  the  country  swindling  people  out  of  their  money," 
roared  Clarke,  rising ;  and  seizing  the  chair  on  which  he  had  been 
sitting,  he  dashed  it  with  all  his  force  against  the  wall,  and  then 
rushed  out  of  the  room.  The  Major  wished  to  close  the  game, 
being  apprehensive  that  he  would  return  and  display  some  more 
of  his  rudeness ;  but  Giles  and  the  rest  of  the  players  insisted 
that  he  should  go  on,  promising  that  neither  Clarke  nor  any  one 
else  should  molest  him  further.  With  this  assurance,  the  game 
was  continued.  Clarke  was  not  absent  from  the  room  more  than 


DEPAPwTUKE.  79 

half  an  hour,  when  he  returned,  and  flourishing  in  his  hand  a 
large  roll  of  bank  bills,  said,  "  Clarke's  credit  ain't  good  for  a  hun 
dred,  eh?  He  can  buy  you,  Mr.  Jenks,  and  all  the  dirty 
blacklegs  like  you  this  side  of  h — 1,  can't  I,  Hotch,  old  boy?  "  he 
asked  of  a  burly  butcher,  named  Hotchkius,  who  was  present. 
Here  Giles  and  several  others  remonstrated  with  Clarke,  telling 
him  that  if  he  persisted  in  conducting  himself  in  this  boisterous 
manner  it  would  lead  to  the  arrest  of  every  person  in  the  house. 

"It's  all  right,  boys,"  he  replied;  "I  ain't  another  word  to 
say ;  but  I'm  going  to  bust  this  d — d  picayune  faro -bank  ;"  and, 
drawing  a  chair  to  the  table,  pulled  from  his  roll  of  bills  a  $50 
note,  which  he  threw  over  to  the  Major  and  demanded  checks 
for.  He  soon  lost  these  and  bought  $50  more,  with  which  he 
commenced  crowding  the  Major's  limit — a  piece  of  aggression 
which  that  gentleman  would  by  no  means  tolerate.  The  amount 
of  checks  beyond  the  limit  he  would  remove  from  Clarke's  bets 
and  politely  hand  them  back  to  him.  The  latter  would  take  them 
without  a  word,  but  the  moment  the  Major's  eyes  were  off  him, 
down  would  go  the  checks  again  on  the  same  card.  The  Major 
kept  winning  every  bet  he  laid  down,  and  in  the  meanwhile  re 
monstrating  and  handing  him  his  surplus  checks  with  the  remark, 
"  Six  dollars  and  twenty  is  the  limit  of  the  game,  Mr.  Clarke.  I 
beg  you  wont  crowd  it."  In  this  manner  he  played  along  at  the 
game,  holding  a  restraint  on  his  tongue  until  he  had  lost  $400 
from  his  roll  of  bank  notes.  He  now  began  growling  and  curs 
ing  at  his  luck,  and  finally  commenced  venting  his  spleen  again 
upon  the  Major.  "  Two  thousand  dollar  loser  against  this  d — d 
picayune  bank,  and  they  won't  take  a  check  over  the  limit. 

Blooded  Virginians!  Big  gamblers!  I'd  hate  d d  bad 

to  meet  one  of  'em  in  an  alley  on  a  dark  night."  These,  and 
similar  insults,  excited  the  Major  to  such  a  pitch  that  he  did  not 
know  what  he  was  doing,  and,  had  I  not  prevented  him,  would 
have  paid  all  the  stand-off  bets  on  the  lay-out,  and  overlooked 
those  which  he  had  won.  I  requested  him  to  get  up  and  let  me 
deal;  he  consented,  and  asked  Giles  to  "look  out,"  saying,  "I 
want  to  go  over  to  the  tavern  a  minute."  The  moment  I  seated 
myself  in  the  dealing-chair,  Clarke  roared  out,  "What  the  h — 1 
are  you  doing  there  ?" 

"  I'm  going  to  give  you  some  better  luck,  Mr.  Clarke,"  I  re 
plied,  good-humoredly. 


80  -WAXDEKIXGS  OF  A  VAGABOXD. 

He  glared  at  me  for  a  moment,  seemingly  in  doubt  whether 
he  should  drag  me  from  the  chair  or  not,  but  finally,  if  such  was 
his  idea,  abandoned  it,  and,  without  making  me  any  rejoinder, 
placed  six  dollars  and  a  quarter  behind  the  queen.  It  lost  on 
the  turn.  He  again  placed  the  same  amount  in  the  same  place. 
It  won  twice  and  then  lost  on  the  turn.  With  a  terrible  oath, 
he  seized  a  stack  of  checks  lying  before  him,  of  $25  value,  and 
threw  them  down  in  the  same  place.  I  won  them  in  a  few  turns. 
He  then  took  from  his  roll  a  $50  bill  and  placed  it  on  the  same 
spot,  for  which  I  turned  and  won.  He  now  laid  $50  more  in 
the  same  place,  and  won.  He  let  the  $100  remain  and  lost.  The^ 
stillness  was  painful.  Not  a  word  was  spoken  in  the  room,  and 
the  sound  of  the  cards,  as  they  glided  from  the  dealing-box,  was 
distinctly  audible.  I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  let  him  break 
himself  if  he  could,  and  I  had  a  strong  conviction  that  such 
would  be  the  case,  because,  on  an  average,  such  was  his  luck ;  he 
could  not  win  one  bet  out  of  five.  He  now  bet  $100  on  the  same 
spot  and  lost,  and  made  three  more  bets  of  the  same  amount,  on 
the  same  spot,  and  lost,  making  him  loser  on  the  deal  $573.50. 
While  shuffling,  preparatory  to  a  fresh  deal,  a  pin  could  have 
been  heard  distinctly  had  it  been  dropped  on  the  floor,  although 
there  were  as  many  as  twenty  persons  in  the  room  at  the  time. 
Such  unusually  heavy  play  tied  the  tongues  of  all  present.  Many 
of  those  in  the  room,  no  doubt,  anticipated  a  row  if  Clarke  lost 
all  his  money,  as  he  seemed  likely  to  do.  I  was  perfectly  cool, 
and  felt  as  if  I  could  win  every  dollar  hazarded  against  me. 

When  I  had  placed  the  cards  in  the  dealing-box,  Clarke  bet 
$150  behind  the  queen.  In  this  manner  he  kept  on  betting  be 
hind  the  queen,  and  whenever  he  won  his  bet  would  go  the 
paroli,  but  failed  to  win  one  of  them.  When  the  Major  returned 
he  was  terror-stricken  at  the  sight  of  a  bundle  of  bank  notes 
behind  the  queen,  and  in  an  excited  manner  asked  me  what 
the  amount  was.  "  Three  hundred  dollars,  sir,"  I  replied. 
A  few  turns  before  Clarke  had  won  $150  and  had  let  it  remain 
with  its  product  in  the  same  place  where  he  first  laid  it  down. 

"  Why,  good  God,  Jack,  what  can  you  mean  ?  "  he  demanded. 

"  Nothing,  Major.  It's  all  right,"  I  replied,  turning  away 
without  noticing  him  further. 

I  won  the  bet ! 

Clarke  now  threw  down  the  balance  of  his  roll  in  a  lump.    I 


DEPAKTUKE.  81 

did  not  stop  to  inquire  the  amount,  but  in  a  few  turns  won,  and 
found  it  made  Clarke  a  loser  that  night  to  the  tune  of  $2,100. 

When  he  saw  his  last  stake  vanish  from  his  grasp,  he  said  not 
a  word,  but  leaned  back  in  his  chair  and  gazed  vacantly  down 
on  the  lay-out,  as  if  he  could  not  realize  his  situation.  The 
remainder  of  the  players  handed  in  their  checks  and  got  the 
money  for  them,  and  not  a  few  immediately  left  the  premises, 
fearful,  no  doubt,  that  a  row  would  take  place. 

Clarke  rallied  himself  at  length,  and  demanded  a  drink  of 
liquor,  which,  being  given  him  by  Giles,  he  swallowed  it  hastily ; 
then  rose  from  his  chair,  and  pointing  his  finger  towards  Major 
Jenks,  addressed  that  gentleman  in  these  words : 

"I  want  all  my  money  back;  and  d n  me  if  I  don't  have 

it,  too." 

"  For  what  reason,  sir  ?  "  demanded  the  Major. 

"Because  I've  been  swindled  out  of  it;  ain't  that  reason 
enough  ?  "  he  shouted,  savagely  striking  the  table  with  his  fist. 

"It's  false,  sir.  You've  not  been  swindled  out  of  anything 
here,"  warmly  replied  the  Major,  reddening  to  the  roots  of  his 
hair. 

"  You  can't  fool  me,  old  man,"  retorted  Clarke,  shaking  his 
fist  in  the  Major's  face.  "  You've  refused  over  and  over  again  to 
let  me  bet  a  cent  over  your  limit !  Ain't  that  so ! " 

"  Certainly,  sir ;  but  what  has  that  to  do  with  your  being 
swindled  out  of  your  money  ?  "  sternly  demanded  the  Major. 

"It's  got  a  heap  to  do  with  it." 

"Explain  yourself,  sir." 

"Why  the  h — 1  did  you  get  out  of  that  chair  when  I  was  play 
ing,  and  let  that  d — d  cub  sit  there  and  turn  for  two  and  three 
hundred  dollars,  if  you  didn't  know  he  was  robbing  me?"  he 
fiercely  asked. 

"  Because  he  wanted  to  show  you,  Mr.  Clarke,"  said  I,  slowly 
shaking  my  head  at  him,  "  that  this  was  no  low-flung  picayune 
game." 

"You  dirty  puppy!"  he  cried,  turning  on  me  fiercely,  "if  you 
open  your  mouth  again  until  you're  spoken  to  I'll  smash  it  in  for 
you !" 

"Oh,  don't,  Mr.  Clarke,"  I  said,  laughing  in  his  face;  "that 
would  spoil  my  pretty  looks." 

"Would  it  ?  damn  you !"  he  screamed,  reaching  across  the  table 
and  catching  me  by  my  hair. 


82  WANDERINGS   OP  A  VAGABOND. 

I  had  the  dealing-box  in  my  hand,  and  his  fingers  had  scarcely 
fastened  themselves  in  my  hair,  before  I  dealt  him  a  heavy  blow 
with  the  sharp  corner  of  the  box,  which  brought  his  head  to  the 
table.  I  followed  this  up  with  a  rain  of  heavy  blows  on  the  head, 
and  was  only  stopped  when  I  was  dragged  away  from  my  pros 
trate  foe  by  Giles  and  others.  So  sudden  had  been  the  attack 
and  the  repulse,  that,  before  the  bystanders  could  interfere, 
Clarke  was  stretched  a  lifeless  mass  on  the  table  before  them. 
When  they  had  washed  the  blood  from  his  head,  and  restored  him 
to  some  degree  of  consciousness,  Giles  and  Rathbon,  with  the 
assistance  of  some  others,  led  him  over  to  his  store,  and  in  a  few 
moments  after  the  row  the  Major  and  I  were  left  in  the  sole  pos 
session  of  the  place. 

"This  is  a  bad  business!"  said  the  Major,  looking  pale  and 
uneasy. 

"I'm  not  in  the  least  sorry  about  it,"  I  replied;  "  he  deserved 
more  than  he  got !" 

"Undoubtedly!  but  they'll  arrest  us,  and  I  shall  be  prosecuted 
for  gambling." 

"That's  true,  Major,  and  you  must  not  wait  for  them  to  do  so. 
I'll  get  Tom  Jones  to  take  you  down  to  Cropps'  landing  to-night 
in  his  fishing-boat,  and  you  can  wait  there  in  safety  until  you  can 
get  aboard  of  a  steamer  going  down  the  river." 

This  course  being  agreed  upon,  we  commenced  packing  up  the 
faro  tools,  when  in  rushed  Giles,  frightened  out  of  his  wits,  and 
looking  more  like  a  ghost  than  his  llesh  and  blood,  and  who  cried 
out,  "Jack,  you've  killed  Clarke;  he  won't  live  till  morning!" 

"Good  God !"  shrieked  the  Major,  "is  it  so  bad  as  that?" 

This  unexpected  news  staggered  me.  The  thought  that  I  might 
have  injured  Clarke  seriously  never  crossed  my  mind.  But,  young 
as  I  was,  I  had  more  presence  of  mind  than  Giles  or  the  Major,  in 
this  emergency.  "We  must  leave  here  without  a  moment's  delay," 
I  said  to  the  Major.  I  informed  Giles  of  my  previous  intention 
of  having  the  Major  taken  to  Cropps'  landing,  where  he  could  wait 
for  a  boat  to  take  him  down  the  river;  but  told  him  I  now 
intended  to  be  the  companion  of  his  flight,  and  I  asked  him  to 
assist  the  Major  in  getting  his  things  down  to  Tom  Jones'  fish 
ing  place,  while  I  preceded  him  there,  to  make  arrangements  for 
our  flight. 

"But  you'll  goto  the  house,  Jack,  and  see  the  old  woman,  and 
get  your  clothes,  won't  you?"  asked  Giles. 


DEPARTURE.  83 

"No,  the  clothes  would  only  burden  me,  and  be  useless  besides 
now,  and  I  shall  be  spared  the  pain  of  breaking  the  terrible  news 
to  Mrs.  Giles;  besides,  we  have  not  one  moment  to  lose;  so  hurry 
down  to  the  river." 

When  I  reached  the  landing,  to  my  great  joy  a  stern- wheel 
steamer  was  just  turning  the- bend  of  the  river — a  sight  which 
entirely  altered  my  plans  for  flight.  I  resolved  to  take  passage  on 
her,  and  if  she  made  Wheeling  by  the  next  evening,  as  she  ought 
to  do,  to  stick  by  her  until  she  reached  that  place,  and  if  she  got 
stuck  on  a  sand-bar  to  abandon  her  and  take  to  the  country, 
where  I  should  seek  an  asylum  until  I  heard  from  Giles. 

I  met  him  and  the  Major  coming  down  with  the  luggage. 
They  were  both  overjoyed  at  the  sight  of  the  steamer,  and  ap 
proved  of  my  plan. 

We  got  aboard  of  the  boat  as  soon  as  she  landed.  "Write  to 
me  at  Wheeling,  care  of  Mr.  Lane,  No.  147  Main  street,"  said 
the  Major  to  Giles,  as  we  stood  together  on  the  boiler  deck  of  the 
steamer.  "Direct  your  letter  to  Joshua  Watkins,  instead  of 
Major  George  Jenks.  Can  you  remember  that,  Mr.  Giles?" 

"Certainly  lean ;  but  why  not  direct  the  letter  to  you?" 

"  Damn  it,  sir,  do  you  want  to  direct  a  letter  to  Major  George 
Jenks,  and  set  the  sheriff  on  our  tracks  ?" 

"Oh!  I  see,"  cried  Giles.  "But  in  case  I  write  you  that 
Clarke's  dying,  what  then  T' 

"  Then  rest  assured  that  Jack  and  myself  will  get  into  the 
mountains  of  Virginia  faster  than  deers,  and  when  once  there 
we're  safe,  in  spite  of  all  the  sheriffs  in  your  d — d  abolition  State. 
Giles  promised  to  write  to  us  every  mail,  and,  after  shaking  the 
Major  warmly  by  the  hand,  and  bidding  him  watch  over  me,  he 
turned  to  me  and  said,  "Jack,  if  anything  bad  happens  to  you, 
it  will  kill  the  old  woman!" 

"You  need  not  tell  her  of  this  scrape,"  I  cried,  eagerly;  "make 
up  any  other  story  and  tell  her  about  my  leaving." 

"  Why,  you  fool !  Jack,  don't  you  know  that  every  tale-bearing 
b — h  in  the  town  will  be  carrying  the  news  to  her  before  the  dew 
is  off  the  ground  ?" 

"Get  ashore!"  sung  out  the  mate,  and  at  the  same  moment 
the  stroke  of  the  bell  told  us  we  were  getting  under  way. 

Giles  wrung  me  by  the  hand,  and  jumped  ashore  just  as  the 
clock  on  the  court-house  chimed  eleven.  In  a  few  moments 
more  we  were  out  of  sight  of  Marietta. 


84  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

CHAPTEE      X. 

PHANTOMS  OF  THE  MEMORY. 

Shortly  after  the  steamer  left  Marietta  I  turned  into  my  berth 
and  slept  for  about  two  hours.  In  the  meantime  I  had  a  horri 
ble  dream,  from  which  I  awoke  in  a  fright,  and  which  impressed 
me  so  vividly  that  to  this  day  I  distinctly  remember  it.  In  my 
dream  I  was  riding  on  horseback  over  a  turnpike  road,  which 
ran  alongside  a  beautiful  stream  of  water.  As  I  looked  at  the 
stream  I  suddenly  became  aware  of  an  enormous  tortoise  swim 
ming  along,  following  the  direction  of  the  road.  As  I  looked 
again  I  perceived  that  the  tortoise  had  a  man's  head,  and,  as  it 
turned  its  face  in  the  direction  of  mine,  horror  of  horrors !  I 
discovered  the  ghastly,  blood-stained  countenance  of  Clarke.  I 
closed  my  eyes  against  the  frightful  vision  and  turned  my  head 
from  the  stream  to  the  other  side  of  the  road,  but  when  I  once 
more  opened  my  eyes  and  looked  down,  there,  alongside  my  horse, 
was  the  tortoise,  with  the  threatening  eyes  of  Clarke  looking  at 
me  from  its  face.  I  plunged  my  spurs  into  my  horse's  flanks, 
and  on  we  flew  with  the  speed  of  the  wind,  but  not  so  swiftly 
but  whenever  I  turned  my  eyes  to  either  side  of  my  horse  they 
were  met  by  those  in  the  ghastly  face  of  Clarke  upon  the  body  of 
the  tortoise.  Whether  in  the  stream  or  upon  the  road,  it  showed 
no  signs  of  locomotion,  yet  the  utmost  speed  of  my  good  horse 
was  insufficient  to  carry  me  beyond  it.  In  an  agony  of  terror  I 
awoke.  It  was  some  moments  before  I  could  remember  where  I 
was,  but  soon  the  disastrous  events  of  the  evening  returned  up 
on  my  memory  in  their  full  force.  The  Major  was  snoring  with 
a  forty-horse  power  hi  the  berth  beneath  me,  and,  without  dis 
turbing  him,  I  left  my  own,  and  sought  the  boiler-deck  of  the 
steamer,  where  I  remained  the  rest  of  the  night. 

My  dream  had  left  such  a  fearful  impression  upon  my  mind, 
that  I  felt  certain  that  Clarke  was  dead ;  and  I  began  to  feel 
anxious  about  my  own  safety.  Fear  had  clutched  me  with  its 
icy  fingers,  and  I  could  not  shake  it  off.  My  mind,  during  that 
long  night,  would  admit  no  subject  but  the  murdered  Clarke. 
It  pictured  to  me  every  possible  phase  of  the  subject — the  news 
spread  through  the  little  town ;  the  people  talking  of  it  hi  little 


PHANTOMS  OF  THE  MEMOKY.  85 

knots  at  the  street-corners;  the  coroner's  inquest  and  those 
who  would  be  there ;  the  verdict  of  the  coroner's  jury  ;  the  offi 
cers  in  pursuit  of  rue — every  incident  connected  with  my  capture 
and  being  brought  back  to  Marietta  and  incarcerated  in  the  lit 
tle  stone  jail.  Then  the  trial  in  the  crowded  court-room  witn 
hundreds  of  familiar  faces  staring  at  me.  My  imagination 
showed  me  every  moment  of  the  trial — the  judge,  the  lawyers, 
and  old  Scruggs  giving  me  "  blazes  "  in  the  cracked  and  discord 
ant  voice  I  remembered  to  have  heard  so  many  times,  trying  to 
convince  the  jury  that  the  offender  before  him  was  the  greatest 
miscreant  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  whom  it  would  be  a  burning 
shame  and  disgrace  to  all  good  men  and  true  to  allow  any  longer 
to  cumber  the  earth.  Then  would  come  the  awful  sentence  of  the 
judge,  "hanged  by  the  neck  until  you  are  dead,  dead,  dead!" 
Then  the  last  dread  scene,  disclosing  the  gallows,  the  swaying 
multitude,  the  sea  of  up -turned  faces,  and  myself  in  the  place 
where  I  saw  them  put  old  man  Langston  for  murdering  his  wife. 
Then  would  rush  over  me,  like  a  great  wave,  the  grief  and  dis 
tress  of  my  poor  foster-mother,  that  her  boy  should  come  to  such 
an  end.  I  would  start  from  my  seat  at  these  thoughts  and  pace 
the  deck  hi  an  agony. 

I  tried  to  shake  off  these  gloomy  impressions  and  take  a  more 
cheerful  view  of  things,  but  it  was  useless :  they  returned  again 
and  again.  The  thought  struck  me  that  the  authorities  might 
ride  to  Wheeling  and  arrest  me  there  on  the  arrival  of  the  steam 
er,  and,  had  she  landed  during  the  night,  I  am  firmly  convinced 
that  I  should  have  taken  "  French  leave "  of  the  Major,  and 
sought  the  woods  for  safety.  "  'Tis  the  eye  of  childhood  that 
fears  a  painted  devil." 

In  the  gallery  of  the  Louvre  there  is  a  picture,  by  Prudhon, 
representing  a  sandy  defile  bristling  with  rocks,  and  lighted  by  the 
full  moon.  Stretched  naked  on  the  sands  is  the  corpse  of  a  young 
man,  while  his  assassin,  clad  in  a  tunic  and  mantle,  and  holding 
in  his  hand  a  poignard,  is  hurriedly  making  his  escape.  His 
dark,  brutal -looking  countenance,  with  its  low,  narrow  forehead, 
is  turned  over  his  shoulder,  as  if  attracted  to  the  spot  where  lies 
his  murdered  victim,  above  whom,  flying  in  the  air,  are  Ven 
geance  and  Justice.  The  former  holds  a  torch  in  one  hand  and 
with  the  other  is  in  the  act  of  seizing  the  murderer  by  the  hair; 
beside  her  is  Justice,  armed  with  a  sword  and  scales.  I  have 


86  "WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

often  gazed  with  admiration  on  this  master-piece,  but  never  with 
out  its  bringing  fresh  to  my  mind  the  terrible  agony  I  endured 
during  the  night  of  my  flight  from  Marietta. 

"When  the  Major  joined  mo  in  the  morning,  he  was  struck  by 
my  haggard  appearance,  and  used  all  his  powers  of  persuasion  to 
induce  me  to  believe  I  was  beyond  the  reach  of  danger.  He 
took  me  with  him  on  to  the  hurricane-deck,  where  he  could  talk 
to  me  without  being  overheard,  and  tried  his  best  to  impress  me 
with  the  belief  that  Clarke  was  not  seriously  injured.  "Keep 
cool,  Jack,  my  boy,  there's  not  a  bit  of  danger,  not  the  least,  sir. 
And  if  you'd  killed  the  scoundrel  on  the  spot  you  would  only 
have  served  him  right,  damn  him.  The  law  wouldn't  touch  a 
hair  of  your  head,  sir.  Damn  it,  what  right  had  he  to  violate 
the  person  of  a  gentleman,  sir?"  At  every  "sir,"  down  would 
come  the  Major's  cane,  with  a  thump  on  the  roof  of  the  boat,  as 
if  he  intended  by  that  means  to  establish  his  opinion  more 
strongly  in  my  mind.  But  he  did  not  succeed  in  dissipating  my 
fears,  and  when  I  expressed  my  apprehension  of  being  captured 
at  Wheeling,  on  the  arrival  of  the  boat  at  that  place,  and  brought 
back  to  Marietta,  he  straightened  himself  up  to  his  full  height, 
and  scornfully  gazed  down  upon  me.  "  Why,  damn  it,  sir,  I 
thought  you  had  some  spirit,  but  you  haven't,  sir.  You're  an 
infernal  coward,  sir ;  that's  what  you  are,  sir.  I'm  ashamed  of 
you,  sir,  and  I'll  have  nothing  more  to  do  with  you."  At  each 
"  sir,"  down  came  the  ferule  of  tbe  cane,  as  if  he  was  bent  on 
punching  a  hole  through  the  roof  of  the  boat.  After  telling  me 
he  should  have  nothing  more  to  do  with  me,  he  flung  his  cane 
under  his  arm,  turned  on  his  heel,  and  left  me  in  disgust.  I  did 
not  blame  him — I  was  disgusted  with  myself  for  being  such  a 
coward,  but  'twas  all  the  effect  of  that  horrible  dream.  The 
Major  had  made  about  half  a  dozen  steps  away  from  me,  when 
he  turned  round  and  ran  up  to  me,  caught  me  by  both  hands, 
saying,  "Never  mind  me,  my  boy,  I  didn't  mean  a  word  of  it ;  I 
only  spoke  so  to  spur  you  up,  and  make  you  shake  off  that  damn 
scare  you've  got.  Cheer  up,  Jack,  and  be  a  man,  as  you  are. 
I'll  never  leave  you,  sir ;  no,  sir,  never  while  my  name's  Major 
George  Jenks.  And  if  that  scoundrel  dies,  I'll  take  you  with 
me  into  the  mountains  of  Virginia,  where  you'll  live  like  a  prince, 
sir,  and  all  the  constables  in  Ohio  can't  take  you  out  of  it,  sir. 
So  don't  be  uneasy  any  more." 

The  Major  had  often  told  me  about  his  handsome  and  well- 


PHANTOMS  OF  THE  MEMORY.  87 

stocked  farm,  which  he  called  "  The  Hawk's  Nest,"  lying  in  one 
of  the  valleys  along  the  Blue  Eidge  Mountains.  According  to  his 
own  tale,  he  was  a  person  of  some  importance  there.  His  relatives, 
who  were  all  wealthy  farmers,  resided  there,  and  were  the  most 
influential  persons  in  the  neighborhood.  Of  course  I  believed 
every  word  he  said,  and  it  gave  me  no  little  satisfaction  to  know 
that,  in  case  of  the  worst,  I  should  find  an  asylum  in  the  mountain 
fastnesses  of  Virginia.  But  I  never  had  the  pleasure  of  beholding 
the  lordly  manor  of  "The  Hawk's  Nest,"  nor  did  I  ever  visit  the 
Blue  Eidge  Mountains,  which  the  Major  was  so  fond  of  talking 
about.  While  I  was  with  him  in  Virginia,  he  never  once  thought 
of  visiting  "The  Hawk's  Nest,"  though  he  frequently  referred  to 
it  in  conversation  with  me,  especially  when  telling  me  of  the 
number  and  quality  of  his  racing  colts,  which  he  was  intending  to 
bring  on  the  turf  in  a  few  years.  Before  our  flight  I  had  dis 
covered  that  he  was  rather  hyperbolical,  but  I  never  believed 
him  to  be  a  Munchausenist  until  after  our  arrival  in  Eichmond. 
One  day,  while  taking  a  stroll  with  one  of  his  most  intimate  friends, 
I  incidentally  mentioned  the  glowing  description  the  Major  gave 
of  his  farm  in  the  Blue  Eidge,  and  of  how  important  a  personage 
he  was  in  his  neighborhood.  My  companion  shook  his  head  and 
laughed  heartily.  "Why!"  I  exclaimed,  much  surprised,  "you 
don't  mean  to  say  he's  been  stuffing  me  ?  What  could  be  his  object 
in  doing  so  ?" 

"None  in  the  world,"  he  replied,  laughing  good-humoredly. 
"  You  can't  find  a  more  honest  man  than  the  Major,  or  one  more 
kind-hearted :  but  pomposity  is  his  weakness.  He's  told  that  story 
so  often  about  his  farm,  that  he's  really  got  to  believe  it  himself." 

"  And  do  you  mean  to  say  he's  got  no  farm  ?" 

"  I  don't  believe  he  owns  a  foot  of  ground  on  earth !" 

"  And  what  about  those  rich  relations  of  his?"  I  asked. 

"  He  has  got  two  brothers  living  on  small  patches  of  ground 
somewhere  in  the  Blue  Eidge ;  but  they  wouldn't  have  hog  and 
hominy  enough  to  keep  the  hide  on  themselves  and  their  children, 
if  the  Major  did  not  give  them  some  assistance  now  and  then." 

"You  astonish  me,"  I  replied.  "I  knew  the  old  fellow  was 
visionary ;  but  I  never  knew  before  that  he  was  such  a  confound 
ed  liar." 

"  Don't  let  him  know  that  you're  any  wiser  on  these  points 
than  he  wishes  you  to  be,  or  he'll  take  the  sulks  and  leave  you." 

I  promised  to  obey  his  instructions,  and  we  parted. 


"WANDEKCN-GS  OP  A  VAGABOND. 

CHAPTER    XI. 

WHEELING. 

It  was  late  in  the  evening  when  we  reached  Wheeling,  and,  to 
my  great  joy,  I  was  not  pursued  and  arrested,  as  I  had  gloomily 
anticipated,  on  the  landing  of  the  steamer. 

The  Major  took  me  with  him  to  the  residence  of  his  friend,  Mr. 
Lane,  in  whose  charge  he  left  me,  and  proceeded  to  the  "  United 
States  Hotel,"  which  was  a  few  steps  from  the  landing,  and  to 
which  he  had  ordered  his  luggage  to  be  carried. 

Mr.  Richard  Lane,  in  whose  house  I  found  an  asylum,  was  the 
only  son  of  a  highly  respectable  merchant  of  Wheeling.  His 
mother  dying  during  his  infancy,  young  Dick  was  brought  up 
under  the  care  of  his  remaining  parent,  who  did  not  marry  again 
until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  at  which  time  he  was  sent  to 
the  University  of  Virginia,  to  be  made  acquainted  with  the  subtle 
intricacies  of  the  law. 

While  there,  young  Lane  paid  full  as  much  attention  to  the 
mysteries  attached  to  a  pack  of  cards  as  to  unraveling  the  knotty 
points  of  Coke  or  Blackstone.  Money  being  requisite  in  both 
these  pursuits,  the  pockets  of  the  elder  Lane  were  doubly  taxed, 
in  order  to  meet  the  demands  caused  by  the  profligacies  of  his 
son.  At  first  he  paid  grudgingly;  but  when  he  saw  broken  the 
repeated  promises  of  reformation  made  by  his  son,  he  buttoned  up 
his  pockets  and  abandoned  him  to  his  fate.  Young  Lane  con 
tinued  to  live  along  on  his  wits,  and  by  borrowing  on  his  own 
promises  to  pay  and  drafts  drawn  upon  his  father,  both  of  which 
were  dishonored,  when,  for  some  more  outrageous  piece  of  ras 
cality  than  usual,  he  was  expelled  from  his  college,  and  his  father, 
no  less  cruel  than  his  preceptors,  forbade  his  return  home  after 
such  disgrace.  Young  Dick  made  his  way  to  Richmond,  where 
he  divided  his  time  between  such  of  the  gambling-rooms  as  he 
could  gain  an  entrance  to.  He  did  his  best  in  the  borrowing  line, 
playing  at  games  and  short  cards,  in  which  manner  about  three 
years  more  of  his  life  passed.  About  this  time  an  old  gambler  by 
the  name  of  Brooks,  living  in  Richmond,  took  a  fancy  to  Dick,  and 
made  him  a  faro-dealer.  It  was  here  that  Lane  and  Major  Jenks 
became  acquainted,  both  being  concerned  in  the  same  gambling- 


•WHEELING.  89 

house  during  the  space  of  a  year,  and  in  which  time  they  had  re 
alized  a  clean  profit  of  twenty-two  thousand  dollars.  Lane  had 
shaken  off  his  dissipated  habits  by  this  time,  and  had  paid  all  his 
debts.  A  few  years  later  his  father  died,  without  ever  being  re 
conciled  to  his  son ;  but,  dying  intestate,  his  only  child,  of  course, 
fell  heir  to  his  property.  He  returned  to  Wheeling  after  an 
absence  of  seven  years,  to  find,  to  his  chagrin  and  disappoint 
ment,  that  a  single  house  valued  at  ten  thousand  dollars,  and 
debts  amounting  to  four  thousand  dollars,  were  all  that  remained. 
Lane  paid  the  debts  and  took  possession  of  the  house,  and  about 
six  months  later  married  his  wife,  stealing  her  away  from  her 
parents,  who  were  bitterly  opposed  to  him,  and  taking  her  to 
Richmond.  Mrs.  Lane  was  the  offspring  of  one  of  the  first 
families  of  Wheeling — not  the  first  fafnilies  of  Virginia,  none  of 
that  rather  equivocal  stock  having  gotten  as  farwest  as  Wheeling. 
From  where  did  it  derive  its  existence?  From  those  emigrants 
who  landed  from  the  three  ships  in  the  Chesapeake  Bay,  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  1607?  If  so,  that  party  being  composed  entirely 
of  the  male  gender,  the  weaker  vessels  necessarily  must  have  been 
taken  from  among  the  Indian  women,  which  might  have  a  ten 
dency  to  adulterate  the  pure  Anglo-Norman  blood.  Forty  years 
later  we  find  existing  in  Virginia  a  small  oligarchy  composed  of 
the  principal  landholders,  who  tried  to  rule  the  colony  by  right 
of  property  or  by  "right  divine,"  as  all  tyrannical  bodies  of  men 
have  ruled  from  time  immemorial.  Possibly  from  this  oli 
garchy  sprang  originally  the  F.  F.  V.'s.  But  a  good  part  of  these 
colonists  having  "left  their  country  for  their  country's  good,"  in 
consequence  of  an  inability  to  distinguish  "mine"  from  "thine," 
or  some  such  little  innocent  idiosyncracy,  which  the  cruel  and 
tyrannical  laws  of  Great  Britain  at  that  time  punished  by  sending 
them  out  to  Virginia,  to  be  sold  as  slaves  for  various  periods, 
according  to  the  enormity  of  their  offenses,  it  is  presumable  that 
some  of  these  unfortunate  individuals,  at  the  expiration  of  their 
sentences,  being  purged,  according  to  law,  of  the  stains  of  dis 
honor,  and  restored  to  the  rights  of  citizenship,  would  have  work 
ed  out  for  themselves  a  brighter  future ;  and  that,  in  course  of 
time,  their  offspring,  having  obtained  a  respectable  property  posi 
tion  in  society,  would  come  to  be  considered  worthy  consorts  for 
the  daughters  of  the  wealthy  land-owners.  By  these  means  it  is 
plausible  to  suppose  that  the  "blue  blood,"  which  is  believed  to 


90  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

have  formerly  coursed  through  the  veins  of  the  first  families  of 
Virginia,  has  been  adulterated,  so  far,  at  least,  as  to  bring  back  its 
color  to  the  reddish  hue  of  that  which  runs  in  the  veins  of  ordi 
nary  mortals.  Such  being  the  case,  ,it's  very  possible  that  not 
a  drop  of  the  "cl'ar  grit"  can  be  found  at  the  present  time  in  the 
Old  Dominion. 

The  parents  of  Mrs.  Lane  belonged  to  the  moneyocracy;  and 
families  of  that  stamp,  proud,  arrogant,  and  -conceited,  may  fce 
found  in  every  one-horse  town  and  village,  as  well  as  every  dense 
ly  populated  city  in  the  world ;  consequently  no  one  need  be 
surprised  that  they  resolutely  shut  their  doors  in  her  face  for 
having  the  audacity  to  marry  a  gambler,  and  a  poor  one  at  that; 
a  rich  gambler  might  have  been  tolerated,  but  to  throw  herself 
away  on  a  poor  one  was  unpardonable. 

Lane  and  his  wife,  after  an  absence  of  about  a  year,  during 
which  time  they  had  lived  in  Richmond,  returned  to  Wheeling, 
in  the  hopes  that  her  parents  would  relent  and  take  them  un 
der  their  fostering  wing.  But  as  well  might  the  young  Alexis 
Petrowich  have  tried  to  move  the  icy  heart  of  his  father,  Peter 
the  Great,  when  he  had  decoyed  him  from  Naples  to  Moscow,  in 
order  to  put  him  to  death.  Lane,  finding  that  his  wife's  parents 
still  continued  obdurate,  was  for  disposing  of  what  property  he 
had  there  and  returning  to  Richmond ;  but  his  wife,  who  had 
inherited  some  of  the  stubborn  nature  of  her  parents,  having 
learned  that  her  presence  in  the  place  was  an  eye-sore  to  them, 
and  they  desired  nothing  so  much  as  her  absence,  like  an  unduti- 
ful  child,  she  refused  to  budge  an  inch,  thereby  keeping  her  hus 
band  in  a  place  where  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  make  a  living 
by  the  exercise  of  his  profession.  By  renting  the  lower  part  of 
their  house  for  a  store,  it  being  situated  on  a  main  business  street, 
they  eked  out  a  kind  of  a  respectable  living. 

When  I  was  introduced  to  Mr.  Lane  he  was  about  thirty  years 
of  age,  remarkably  handsome,  both  in  face  and  figure.  He  con 
versed  with  ease  and  fluency,  was  witty  and  intelligent,  and  had 
the  manners  and  habits  of  a  gentleman,  besides  being  a  tender 
husband  and  devoted  to  his  children,  of  whom  he  had  two,  a  boy 
and  a  girl.  He  possessed  both  energy  and  ability,  and  was  ca 
pable  of  making  friends  wherever  he  went;  but  fashionable 
society  could  not  countenance  him,  because  he  was  tainted  with 
the  damned  spot  of  the  professional  gambler.  Mrs.  Lane  was  a 


WHEELING.  91 

strong,  healthy  woman,  and  if  nature  had  denied  her  beauty,  it 
had  endowed  her  with  nobler  gifts — cheerfulness  and  intelligence. 
During  the  few  days  I  was  in  hiding  at  her  house,  she  tried  to 
make  my  situation  as  easy  and  comfortable  as  possible,  with 
out  once  trying  to  pry  into  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  or  my 
history — a  thing  many  persons  might  have  presumed  on  doing,  on 
account  of  my  youth.  That  I  was  the  protege  of  Major  Jenks 
was  sufficient  for  herself  and  husband ;  and  I  was  confident  that 
while  under  their  roof  I  had  nothing  to  fear  from  being  treach 
erously  given  up  to  the  officers  of  the  law. 

Lane's  presence  in  Wheeling  was  barely  tolerated  by  the  offi 
cers  of  the  law, who  were  of  the  puritanical  order,  and  who  car 
ried  out  their  policy  with  the  seeming  intention  of  making  the 
present  generation,  if  not  the  next  one,  remember  their  intoler 
ant  spirit.  The  Maine  liquor  law  became  an  established  fact  in 
the  place,  billiard  and  bagatelle  tables  were  prohibited,  and  also 
bowling-alleys.  Such  individuals  as  indulged  in  their  leisure 
hours  at  cock-fights,  dog-fights,  or  bull-baits,  or  any  other  dis 
play  of  the  manly  art,  were  mulcted  in  heavy  fines.  Whenever 
the  patrons  of  these  sports  desired  to  amuse  themselves  they 
were  obliged  to  seek  the  fields  of  some  adjoining  county,  or  cross 
into  the  more  liberal  State  of  Ohio.  Faro-dealers  had  given  the 
place  a  wide  berth  within  the  last  few  years,  previous  to  our 
arrival  in  the  place,  and  well  might  they,  if  they  had  gathered 
any  wisdom  from  the  way  in  which  the  fraternity  had  been 
treated  there.  Several  had  from  time  to  time  the  temerity  to 
come  within  the  sacred  precincts  of  the  city,  and,  after  prospect 
ing  it,  to  open  their  banks.  They  were  allowed  to  proceed  for  a 
time,  to  give  them  confidence,  when  they  were  suddenly  pounc 
ed  upon  by  the  officers  of  the  law,  and  with  all  their  players 
taken  to  the  lock-up.  The  latter  were  usually  released  the  same 
night,  or  next  morning,  on  payment  of  a  fine  of  twenty-five  dol 
lars,  besides  having  the  felicity  of  seeing  their  names  in  full  in 
the  newspapers  among  the  "  list  of  gamblers  captured  last  night 
by  our  '  Argus-eyed '  police."  The  owners  of  the  bank  were 
accommodated  with  private  lodgings  in  the  brick  jail,  from  the 
barred  windows  of  which  they  could  solace  themselves  with  a 
sight  of  the  beautiful  foliage  of  the  papaw  bushes,  which 
adorned  the  hill  back  of  their  prison,  and  meditate  on  the  con 
flicting  opinions  of  mankind,  and  the  arrogant  pride  of  some  of 


92  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

that  species  in  forcing  the  result  of  their  opinions  upon  whoever 
had  the  misfortune  to  disagree  with  them,  while  "dressed  in  a 
little  brief  authority."  After  a  few  days'  incarceration  they  were 
released,  but  not  until  they  were  leeched  out  of  their  last  dollar, 
and  then  compelled  to  leave  the  city  within  a  few  hours.  Should 
they  refuse  to  accept  their  liberty  on  such  hard  terms,  they  must 
either  procure  bail,  or  remain  in  jail  till  the  court  sat,  which  was 
once  in  six  months,  when  certain  conviction,  with  a  $1,000  fine 
and  imprisonment  for  one  year  in  the  county  jail  would  be  their 
doom.  Of  the  two  evils  the  former  was  the  least,  and  such  faro- 
dealers  as  were  arrested  in  the  place  chose  it,  and  gave  to  the 
officers  their  last  dollar  to  escape  their  clutches.  This  plun 
der  was  divided  between  the  Mayor  of  the  city,  the  Marshal, 
and  the  District  Attorney.  Over  every  foot  of  soil  belonging  to 
the  State  of  Virginia  the  punishment  for  dealing  a  banking  game 
of  faro  was  a  fine  of  $1,000  and  imprisonment  for  one  year  in 
the  county  jail ;  but  the  law  had  fallen  into  disuse  except  in 
Wheeling,  where  it  was  enforced  by  a  few  rascally  officials,  for 
the  benefit  of  their  own  pockets. 

Lane  was  the  only  person  who  had  ever  had  the  hardihood  not 
to  be  fleeced  of  his  money,  when  arrested  for  dealing  faro.  Be 
ing  a  citizen,  and  having  many  influential  friends  in  the  place,  he 
imagined  that  if  he  opened  a  faro-bank  he  would  be  exempt 
both  from  prosecution  and  persecution,  so  he  tried  it  on.  This 
happened  about  eighteen  months  before  our  arrival.  Lane  was 
allowed  to  proceed  for  a  time,  and  then  was  suddenly  arrested, 
with  all  his  players.  He  furnished  the 'necessary  bail,  stood  his 
trial,  was  convicted,  and,  according  to  statute,  sentenced  to  pay  a 
fine  of  one  thousand  dollars,  and  be  imprisoned  for  one  year. 
Through  the  influence  of  his  friends  in  Eichmond,  however,  he 
was  pardoned  by  the  Governor,  about  two  weeks  after  the  pass 
ing  of  his  sentence,  to  the  immense  disgust  of  the  puritans  of 
Wheeling.  He  never  again  tempted  fortune  by  opening  a  faro- 
bank  there,  although  he  told  us  the  present  Marshal  was  friend 
ly  to  him,  and  had  said  he  might  open  one  if  he  wished,  provided 
he  conducted  it  very  quietly. 

On  the  second  day,  the  anxiously  expected  letter  from  Giles 
arrived,  and,  to  my  unbounded  joy,  Clarke  was  not  dead,  "nor 
is  he  going  to  make  a  die  of  it,"  wrote  Giles.  "But  that  lick 
you  gave  him  over  the  eye  with  the  dealing-box  has  branded 


WHEELING.  93 

him  with  the  mark  of  the  tiger,  and  he'll  carry  it  to  his  grave 
with  him."  He  then  went  on  to  state  that  nearly  all  of  those 
who  were  in  the  room,  when  the  row  occurred,  left  town  that 
night  or  the  next  morning,  being  afraid  they  might,  if  they  staid, 
he  brought  up  as  witnesses;  but  it  was  unnecessary,  for  the 
whole  affair  had  been  kept  so  silent  that  the  saints  in  power  had 
received  no  inkling  of  it,  up  to  the  time  of  his  writing.  He 
further  stated  that  Clarke  advised  his  friends  to  keep  the  whole 
affair  under  cover,  but  that  he  threatened  to  kill  me  when  he  re 
covered.  Giles  therefore  advised  us  not  to  return  to  Marietta 
until  he  could  come  to  some  friendly  understanding  with  him. 
His  admonition  was  entirely  unnecessary.  Nothing  but  force 
would  have  induced  the  Major  to  return,  and  as  for  myself,  with 
more  than  five  thousand  dollars  in  my  pocket,  and  an  anxiety  to 
see  strange  climes  and  faces,  I  certainly  was  not  likely  to  do 
so,  all  things  considered.  Clarke's  threat  would  have  withheld 
me,  if  nothing  else ;  not  that  I  feared  him  especially,  and  I  was 
certainly  overjoyed  to  know  I  had  not  killed  him,  but  it  would 
have  been  foolish  for  me  to  have  returned  where  my  presence 
was  certain  to  bring  perplexity  and  trouble  to  those  who  loved 
me. 

On  the  day  following  the  reception  of  Giles'  letter,  Lane  told 
the  Major  and  myself  that  he  had  had  an  interview  with  the 
City  Marshal,  and  that  he  was  willing  to  permit  us  to  open  and 
conduct  a  faro-bank  in  the  place,  provided  we  gave  to  him  one 
hundred  dollars,  and  five  per  cent,  of  whatever  we  won.  In 
consideration  of  which  we  should  not  be  molested  by  him,  and  in 
case  any  complaint  was  made  against  us,  or  any  movements  of 
any  kind  that  would  endanger  our  safety  on  foot,  that  he  would 
give  us  timely  warning.  Lane  advised  us  to  accept-  the  terms, 
promising,  if  we  did  so,  to  bring  to  us  a  valuable  moneyed  play, 
and  would  also  furnish  the  money  to  take  a  third  interest  in  the 
game.  The  Major  was  pleased  with  the  proposal,  "because," 
said  he,  "after  taking  our  money  he  won't  betray  us,  and  the 
prospect  of  making  more  will  induce  him  to  protect  us."  So  we 
agreed  to  try  our  fortune  in  Wheeling,  and  lost  no  time  in  look 
ing  out  for  a  suitable  place  to  set  up  our  bank. 

"My  room  at  the  hotel  is  just  the  thing,"  said  the  Major, 
bringing  down  his  open  palm  smartly  upon  his  knee. 

"That's  so," returned  Lane,  "and  old  Griffiths,  the  landlord, is 


94  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

just  the  man  we  want  to  do  business  with ;  he'd  walk  a  mile  of 
a  rainy  night,  any  time,  to  get  a  chance  to  play  against  faro;  be 
sides,  he'll  bring  every  one  with  him  that's  worth  having,  so  I'll 
go  down  and  sound  the  old  cock." 

Mr.  Griffiths,  the  proprietor  of  the  "United  States  Hotel," 
was  a  good-natured,  jovial  kind  of  soul ;  he  was  fond  of  his  tod 
dies,  always  ready  to  attend  a  cock-fight  or  a  horse-race,  or  to 
play  a  stack  of  white  checks  against  a  faro-bank,  or  even  to 
amuse  himself  at  a  small  game  of  poker.  But  to  allow  a  faro- 
bank  to  be  conducted  in  his  own  house,  the  fine  for  such  a  little 
delinquency  being  five  hundred  dollars,  was  more  than  the  old 
gentleman  could  stomach. 

"But  don't  I  tell  you  I've  got  the  Marshal  all  right?  "  argued 
Lane,  in  plea  of  his  suit. 

"Have  you,  though?"  exclaimed  mine  host  of  the  "United 
States;"  "and  I  tell  you  I  know  Jerry  Clemmens,  the  Marshal,  as 
you  call  him,  a  damn  sight  better  than  you  do.  He's  a  thief, 
Mr.  Lane,  and  all  them  fellers  connected  with  him  are  a  set  of 
thieves,  the  whole  kit  and  bilin'  of  'em,  as  you'll  find  out  to  your 
sorrow,  if  you  trust  any  on  'em ! " 

Facing  the  upper  end  of  the  steamboat  landing,  and  built 
against  the  steep  bank  of  the  river,  was  a  small  three -story 
brick  house.  The  ground  floor  of  this  building  was  occupied  as 
a  grocery  store.  The  second  story,  which  was  unoccupied,  had 
in  front  a  wooden  balustrade,  from  which  a  ricketty  stairway 
descended  to  the  street.  The  top  story  was  entered  by  a  single 
door,  from  the  back  street,  which  wound  from  the  landing  to  the 
top  of  the  hill,  against  which  the  house  was  built,  and  soon  after 
lost  itself  in  the  main  street  of  the  city.  When  seen  from  the 
rear,  it  seemed  merely  a  one-story  brick  house.  This  top  room 
was  occupied  by  a  drunken  tailor,  by  the  name  of  Morse,  who 
was,  at  one  time,  owner  of  the  best  tailoring  establishment  in 
Wheeling;  but  love  of  liquor  had  brought  him  so  low  that  his 
former  patrons  dared  not  trust  him  with  cloth  sufficient  to  make 
a  pair  of  pantaloons,  for  fear  he  would  sell  it  for  whiskey.  He 
managed  to  live  by  working  during  the  day  at  any  stray  jobs  of 
mending  old  clothes,  and  from  what  he  could  collect  from  small 
poker  parties,  who  met  by  stealth  in  his  room  at  night.  He 
would  generally  keep  sober  until  he  had  accumulated  twenty  or 
thirty  dollars,  when  he  would  start  on  a  spree,  and  keep  it  up 
as  long  as  he  had  a  cent  or  could  run  his  face  for  a  dram. 


WHEELING.  95 

It  was  from  this  worthy  gentleman,  then,  that  we  received 
permission  to  set  up  our  game  in  his  house.  Ho  was  just  get 
ting  off  one  of  his  customary  sprees,  flat  broke,  and  glad  of  the 
opportunity  to  make  another  raise  by  renting  his  room  to  us 
for  two  dollars  a  night.  Lane,  to  quiet  any  fears  he  might  en 
tertain  of  being  punished  for  allowing  us  to  deal  faro  in  his 
room,  told  him,  with  a  significant  wink,  that  there  was  no  dan 
ger  to  be  apprehended  from  the  authorities,  as  he'd  fixed  them 
all  right. 

"  Clemmens,  you  mean,  I  know,"  said  Morse,  with  a  shake  of  the 
head.  Look  out  for  him,  Mr.  Lane;  he 's  as  slippery  as  an  eel;  I 
ain't  afeard  o'  his  botherin'  me,  cos  he  can't  make  nothin'  outer 
me,  but  he  won't  do,  that's  flat,"  said  Mr.  Morse,  with  another 
ominous  shake  of  his  head.  "Rec'lect,  Mr.  Lane,"  he  continued, 
"your  friends  here  is  strangers,  an'  are  got  money,  an'  them  there 
robbers  will  go  for  it  as  quick  as  a  bass  will  go  for  a  minnow, 
if  you  give  'em  half  a  chance." 

"Don't  let  that  bother  your  head,  old  fellow;  I've  arranged  all 
that,"  said  Lane. 

"  May  be,"  returned  Mr.  Morse,  "  but  there's  no  harm,  Mr. 
Lane,  in  just  shutting  the  gate.  Look  there,"  he  said,  pointing 
with  his  finger  towards  a  corner  of  the  floor;  "make  a  trap  door, 
and  a  pair  of  stairs  down  into  the  room  below ;  there  ain't  no 
body  livin'  there,  and  from  them  there  balcony  stairs  you  can 
make  tracks  towards  the  levee,  if  them  peelers  took  it  into  their 
heads  to  break  in  on  ye  some  fine  night  when  there  was  a  lot 
here  a  fightin'  the  tiger." 

"By  the  Lord!"  exclaimed  the  Major,  jumping  to  his  feet, 
"you're  the  only  sensible  man  among  us,  and  your  advice,  sir,  is 
too  good  to  be  thrown  away." 

Lane  procured  a  carpenter  on  whose  secrecy  he  could  rely ;  he 
made  the  trap  and  stairs  at  his  shop,  and  fitted  them  to  their 
place,  during  the  night.  This  part  of  our  arrangements  we  kept 
to  ourselves,  not  deeming  it  wise  to  admit  our  customers  into  the 
secret.  Lane  had  a  dealing-table,  which  we  transferred  from  his 
residence  to  the  room,  also  during  the  night,  and,  with  the  as 
sistance  of  some  chairs,  candlesticks,  and  other  requisite  articles, 
we  were  ready  to  receive  customers.  Lane  commenced  muster  ^ 
ing  his  players,  but  they  fought  very  shy  for  the  first  two  or 
three  nights.  Lane  would  bring  them  in  and  introduce  them, 


96  WANDERINGS   OF  A  VAGABOND. 

and  the  Major  would  show  his  hospitality  by  shoving  before 
them  a  bottle  and  glasses,  or  porter,  if  they  perferred  it,  but  no 
sooner  had  they  swallowed  their  beverage  than  they  would  re 
tire  precipitately,  as  if  they  were  afraid  the  claws  of  the  police 
would  seize  upon  them  before  they  could  reach  the  street. 
Lane's  repeated  assurances  that  there  was  nothing  to  fear,  as  he 
had  the  Marshal  all  right,  finally  began  to  have  its  weight. 
The  third  evening  of  our  venture,  two  gentlemen  having  the 
fear  of  the  law  less  before  their  eyes  than  their  companions, 
bought  twenty  dollars'  worth  of  checks,  and  with  them  tackled 
the  "tiger."  They  lost,  and  almost  immediately  left  the  room. 
They  came  again  on  the  following  evening,  and  tried  their  luck, 
which  gave  confidence  to  others.  From  that  night  the  number 
of  our  players  gradually  increased;  even  the  jovial  landlord  of  the 
"United  States"  so  far  overcame  his  fears  as  to  lend  us  the  light 
of  his  countenance,  which  was  a  host  in  our  favor,  because  every 
player  in  the  place,  whose  custom  was  worth  having,  would  fol 
low  where  old  John  Griffiths  led.  Finally  our  room  was  filled 
every  night,  with  from  fifteen  to  twenty  players,  all  business 
men,  merchants,  stage-agents,  steamboat-captains,  and  the  like, 
who  all  had  plenty  of  money,  which  they  bet  liberally  against 
the  game.  The  Major  and  myself  dealt,  and  frequently  did 
not  make  acquaintance  with  our  beds  before  daylight.  Lane 
introduced  the  customers  to  the  game,  besides  keeping  himself 
in  the  good  graces  of  the  Marshal,  on  whom  he  was  careful  to 
make  a  quiet  call,  every  morning,  and  report  proceedings. 
Every  precaution  had  been  taken  to  keep  our  business  as 
secret  as  possible.  Not  a  light  could  be  seen  in  our  room  from 
the  street.  Morse  was  on  duty  in  the  street,  with  a  key,  that  none 
might  gain  admittance  but  our  known  customers,  and  having  a 
suspicion,  notwithstanding  the  Marshal's  assurance  to  Lane, 
that  the  Wheeling  authorities  might  not  share  Mr.  Pitt's  opinion, 
that  "the  hut  of  the  peasant  should  be  as  secure  from  official  in 
trusion  as  the  palace  of  the  king,"  we  had  caused  a  strong  oaken 
bar,  held  by  two  heavy  iron  staples  firmly  fastened  into  the  door 
posts,  to  be  put  up.  We  had  also  arranged  with  our  worthy 
sentinel,  Morse,  that  in  case  a  descent  was  made  upon  us,  he 
should  give  timely  warning,  in  order  that  we  might  make  our  es 
cape  by  the  trap-door.  The  signal  agreed  upon  was  that  he 
should  sing  out,  loud  enough  for  us  to  hear,  "  Whose  corn-patch 


WHEELING.  97 

is  to  be  robbed  now  ? "  This  luminous  idea  emanated  from  the 
prolific  brain  of  the  Major,  who  contended  it  was  an  unusual 
expression,  and  less  likely  to  create  a  misunderstanding  than 
another.  For  more  than  two  weeks  our  game  continued  with 
out  any  impediment,  during  which  time  it  won  about  $2,300. 
But  everything  is  uncertain  in  this  world,  except  death,  rent- 
day,  and  board-bills.  On  the  eighteenth  night,  our  gambling 
career  in  Wheeling  was  brought  to  an  abrupt  close. 

"'Twas  the  'witching  hour  of  night,  when  churchyards 
yawn,"  etc.,  and  our  players  were  about  $500  ahead  of  the  bank, 
the  first  successful  assault  they  had  made  upon  it  since  we  had 
opened.  Their  good  fortune  rendered  them  good-natured,  and 
the  four  dozen  of  ale  and  .porter,  together  with  a  gallon  of 
brandy,  which  they  had  hidden  away  behind  their  shirts,  began 
to  make  them  feel  comfortable  and  happy.  Among  them  was 
a  big  burly  red-headed  Irishman  named  Dougherty,  the  only 
loser  in  the  party.  He  was  interested  in  a  wholesale  liquor  store 
in  the  place.  His  excitable  temperament  would  not  allow  him 
to  sit  in  a  chair  while  at  play,  like  any  one  else,  but  kept  him 
continually  walking  about  the  room,  now  and  then  reaching 
over  the  heads  of  the  other  players  to  place  a  bet  on  the  lay 
out,  or  pick  one  up  from  it.  Whenever  his  checks  gave  out, 
and  he  discovered  a  card  which  he  thought  a  winner,  he  would 
sing  out  to  me,  "  Howld  where  ye're,  Jack,  a  bit,  till  I  bate  the 
bank;"  then  he  would  bid  me  put  "  tin  dollars  in  ivory  "  on  his 
chosen  card,  "  an'  if  I  lose  them,  me  boy,  sure  I've  the  money  in 
me  fist  to  pay  yez,"  at  the  same  time  displaying  a  gold  eagle  in 
his  fingers.  Whether  from  the  closeness  of  the  room,  the  liquor 
he  had  drank,  or  his  losing  rather  heavily  against  the  bank,  the 
perspiration  rolled  in  streams  from  his  face,  and  between  watch 
ing  his  bets  and  swabbing  himself  with  a  red  bandana  hand 
kerchief,  he  had  quite  enough  to  keep  him  pretty  well  employ 
ed.  "Howld  there,  Jack,  till  I  bate  ye's."  "Yes  sir,  what  can  I 
do  for  Mr.  Dougherty?"  "Ye'll  put  tin  dollars  in  ivory  beyant 
the  blagard  king;  it's  bate  me  three  times,  he  has,  hand  runnin', 
bad  ln*k  till  his  dirty  carcass."  I  placed  the  ten  dollars'  worth 
of  checks  as  he  had  desired,  when  he  said,  "  By  your  lave, 
master  Jack,  them  checks  will  engraft  themsilves  on  the  black 
sivin,  and  if  there  isn't  a  black  sivin  in  the  box,  the  divil  other 
one  it'll  take;  do  ye  mind  that,  master  Jack  ?"  "  All  right,  Mr. 


98  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

Dougherty,"  had  no  sooner  passed  my  lips,  than  the  shrill  voice 
of  Morse  was  heard,  singing  out,  "Whose  corn-patch  is  to  bo 
robbed  now  ?  " 

"By  the  Eternal!"  exclaimed  the  Major,  "they're  going  to 
break  in  upon  us." 

" What's  the  matter ?  Anything  wrong ?  What's  up?"  queried 
several  of  the  players  at  once. 

"  The  authorities  are  at  the  door,  gentlemen,"  whispered  the 
Major. 

All  was  now  confusion  and  dismay.  Some  of  the  players  de 
manded  money  for  their  checks,  while  some  stuck  theirs  in  their 
pockets,  as  they  rose  frightened  from  their  seats.  I  conveyed 
what  money  was  in  the  card-box  to  my  breast-pocket,  and  had 
barely  done  so  when  all  the  lights  were  extinguished,  by  whom, 
I  do  not  to  this  day  know,  but  evidently  by  some  of  the  players. 
We  now  heard  a  short  scuffle  at  the  door,  and  the  raised  voice  of 
Morse  crying,  "This  is  my  house,  and  you  can't  get  into  it."  A 
moment's  stillness  was  broken  by  a  smart  rapping  on  the  door 
with  a  stick,  and  a  stern  voice  demanding  it  to  be  opened  in  the 
name  of  the  law.  "It's  the  Mayor,"  whispered  one  of  the  play 
ers.  No  response  being  made  to  this  demand,  the  same  voice 
called  out  in  a  louder  key,  "If  you  don't  open  the  door,  I'll 
burst  it  open."  "Begorra,  ye'd  betther  not,  if  ye're  wise," 
shouted  Dougherty.  A  heavy  surge  against  the  door  was  the 
only  response,  followed  by  another,  which  shook  the  old  tene 
ment  so  that  for  a  moment  I  thought  it  was  about  to  tumble 
into  the  river.  The  strong  oaken  bar,  before  mentioned,  kept 
the  door  from  being  broken,  but  it  was  evident  it  would  not 
stand  much  further  pressure.  I  had  by  this  time  gathered  up 
the  faro  tools,  and,  with  the  assistance  of  the  Major,  had  placed 
them  in  the  valise.  I  then  whispered  in  his  ear,  "  The  trap -door ! 
be  quick!"  He  squeezed  my  arm,  and  I  moved  forward,  or 
rather  groped  my  way,  the  Major  holding  by  my  arm  till  we 
reached  the  desired  spot.  I  brushed  from  it  the  rubbish  of  old 
clothing  belonging  to  Morse,  under  which  it  was  hidden,  and 
raised  the  trap.  I  made  the  Major  descend  first,  and  passed 
him  the  valise ;  I  then  made  the  best  of  my  way  down  myself.  I 
had  scarcely  placed  my  foot  upon  the  second  step  of  the  narrow 
staircase,  when  the  powerful  voice  of  Dougherty  sounded  on  my 
ear,  calling  to  those  battering  at  the  door,  in  stentorian  tones, 


WHEELING.  99 

"If  ye's  break  down  that  dure,  I'll  murther  ivery  mother's  son 
o'  ye's."  They  heeded  him  not,  but  with  renewed  energy,  as  it 
seemed,  continued  surging  against  it  with  their  united'  strength, 
the  door  now  evidently  showing  signs  of  giving  way.  "  Let's 
fight  the  d — d  sons  of  b — s,"  cried  a  voice  which  I  recognized  as 
belonging  to  an  agent  for  one  of  the  stage  lines.  "What  the 
divil  else  would  we  do  but  fight  'em,  blood  an'  ouns  yes,  and 
bate  'em  too,"  responded  Dougherty.  His  voice  seemed  to  have 
the  effect  of  a  slogan;  every  one  of  the  besieged  appeared  to  re 
spond  to  it.  The  rattling  of  the  bottles  piled  near  the  door  in 
formed  me  that  they  were  preparing  to  give  their  assailants  a 
warm  reception.  They  had  barely  time  to  seize  them,  when  the 
door  came  in  with  a  crash,  carrying  with  it  two  of  its  besiegers. 
These  escaped  the  worse  fate  of  many  of  their  companions,  who 
were  received  with  such  a  volley  of  bottles  as  sent  numbers  of 
them  "to  grass,"  not  to  "come  up  to  time"  again  that  night, 
either.  The  defenders  of  the  citadel  charged  upon  such  of  the 
assailants  as  remained,  after  they  had  expended  their  bottles, 
with  such  force  and  energy  that  the  Mayor  and  his  satellites 
were  all  ignorniniously  routed,  or  placed  "hors  du  combat." 
While  watching  the  short  struggle  by  the  dim  light  which  shone 
in  through  the  broken-down  door,  I  lost  all  sense  of  my  situa 
tion.  I  listened  to  the  powerful  voice  of  Dougherty  cheering  on 
his  friends,  and  could  see  his  burly  form  as  he  "waded  into"  his 
foes,  knocking  them  right  and  left.  The  attack  was  so  sudden 
and  unexpected,  that  the  Mayor  and  his  party  were  whipped 
before  they  had  time  to  make  hardly  a  show  of  resistance.  The 
Major  had  made  his  way  to  the  balcony,  which  overlooked  the 
river,  where  he  waited  for  a  few  moments,  expecting  momenta 
rily  that  I  would  join  him.  All  this  time  I  had  been  standing  on 
the  second  step  of  the  staircase,  but  was  now  brought  to  my 
senses  by  the  Major's  grip  on  my  arm,  and  his  voice  in  my  ear 
saying,  "What  the  h — 1  is  keeping  you?"  and  made  conscious 
that  I  was  loitering  away  time,  which  was  precious.  In  a  few 
moments  we  were  both  standing  on  the  levee,  where  Morse 
came  to  us.  During  the  row,  he  had  escaped  from  his  captors, 
and  knowing  we  would  make  our  exit  by  the  trap-door,  had 
come  to  meet  us.  He  hurried  us  along  up  the  bank  of  the  river 
about  four  hundred  yards,  to  a  small  cabin,  where  the  ferry 
man  slept.  Morse  roused  him,  and,  after  explaining  our  wants, 


100  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

the  ferryman  agreed  to  put  us  across  the  river  in  a  skiff  for  a 
dollar. 

''You'd  better  come  with  us,  Morse,"  I  whispered,  so  the 
ferryman  should  not  hear.  "Why ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Won't  they  put  you  in  jail,  if  they  catch  you?" 

"  Not  they,"  said  he,  laughing.  "Want  me?  No,  indeed!  Them 
thieves  want  money,  and  they  know  I  ain't  got  any.  They  want 
you  and  the  old  man  here,  that's  what  they  want,  and  my  best 
advice  to  you  is  to  get  across  that  there  river  in  double-quick, 
and  don't  stop,  neither,  short  o'  Bridgeport,  'cause  if  they  find  out 
which  road  you've  took,  they'll  be  arter  you  like  a  thousand  o' 
brick. 

We  had  been  paying  him  his  rent  nightly ;  consequently  wo 
owed  him  but  for  the  present  night.  I  gave  him  three  ten  dol 
lar  gold  pieces,  which  he  received  with  many  thanks,  and  after 
the  Major  had  told  him  to  inform  Lane  that  we  should  expect 
to  see  him  at  the  hotel  at  Bridgeport,  as  soon  as  he  could  make 
it  convenient  on  the  morrow,  he  shook  us  warmly  by  the  hand 
and  left  us. 

When  the  ferryman  had  set  us  on  the  island,  as  agreed  upon, 
we  had  to  walk  about  a  mile  in  order  to  reach  the  ferry  on  the 
opposite  side,  and  also  carry  the  valise  containing  the  faro-tools, 
which  got  pretty  heavy  before  we  reached  the  end  of  it.  During 
our  tramp  across  the  island,  I  tried  several  times  to  draw  the 
Major  into  conversation,  with  but  scant  success.  Our  night's  ad 
ventures,  with  the  tramp  for  the  finale,  had  completely  exhaust 
ed  him.  When  we  finally  reached  the  opposite  side,  we  spent 
what  remaining  strength  we  had,  bawling  for  the  ferryman  to 
come  and  take  us  over.  His  boat  was  on  the  opposite  shore, 
and  he,  no  doubt,  snug  in  bed  and  fast  asleep,  for  no  one  came 
to  our  relief.  It  was  now  near  three  o'clock,  and  we  had  no 
choice  but  to  remain  where  we  were  until  daybreak.  The 
Major  apparently  took  matters  very  coolly,  for  I  could  not  get  a 
word  out  of  him,  which  at  that  time  made  his  companionship 
anything  but  agreeable.  I  finally  succeeded  in  forcing  a  little 
animation  into  him  by  making  an  onslaught  on  the  inhabitants 
of  his  native  State.  "Nice  way  this,  Major,  your  high-toned 
Virginians  have  of  treating  faro-dealers." 

"Damn  it,  sir,  don't  call  them  infernal  thieves  over  there,  Vir 
ginians.  Virginians  are  gentlemen,  and  know  how  to  treat 
strangers  with  courtesy,  sir!" 


WHEELING.  101 

"  Well,  Major,  if  Wheeling  isn't  in  Virginia,  I'll  have  to  travel 
over  my  geography  again." 

"  Pan-handle,  sir !  Virginians  have  never  acknowledged  the 
damned  abolition  dog-hole  as  any  part  of  their  State,  and  I  wish 
an  earthquake  would  swallow  the  cursed  place  up,  and  not  leave 
a  vestige  of  the  infernal  race  of  rattlesnakes  that  inhabit  it,  to 
show  that  it  ever  existed. "  With  this  volley  went  what  strength 
remained  after  the  fatigues  and  vexations  of  the  night,  and  the 
copious  drinks  of  liquor  he  had  imbibed,  and,  too  tired  even  to 
swear,  the  irate  Major  stretched  himself  on  the  grass,  with  his 
head  resting  on  his  valise,  and  balmy  sleep  soon  relieved  him 
from  his  present  troubles. 

Not  so  with  me.  For  nearly  three  weary  hours  did  I  pace 
backward  and  forward  along  the  banks  of  the  river,  breaking 
the  monotony,  at  times,  by  stopping  to  pitch  a  stone  into  it,  or 
pausing  in  my  sentinel  stride  to  listen  intently  whenever  any  of 
the  thousand  and  one  "  voices  of  the  night"  made  me  imagine  I 
could  hear  the  footsteps  or  voices  of  men,  or  the  clattering  hoofs 
of  the  horses  of  our  pursuers.  It  was  long  after  daybreak  when 
the  ferry-boat  at  last  took  us  over  to  Bridgeport,  a  small  place, 
containing  about  thirty  houses,  and  among  them  a  small  tavern, 
where  we  got  some  breakfast,  and  afterwards  beds,  into  which 
we  tumbled,  and  slept  till  two  o'clock  in  the  day.  Lane  arrived 
about  two  hours  later,  and  from  him  we  learned  that  no  arrests 
had  been  made,  up  to  the  time  when  he  left  Wheeling.  "Nor," 
he  continued,  "do  I  believe  there  will  be  any;  the  Mayor,  nor 
any  of  his  party,  were  able  to  recognize  a  single  one  of  your 
players,  and  I  understand  the  Mayor  is  laid  up  from  a  smash 
of  a  bottle  he  got  over  the  eyes,  and  many  others  are  dreadfully 
cut  up.  The  affair  was  creating  considerable  amusement  in 
Wheeling,  at  the  expense  of  the  authorities,"  who,  he  added, 
"  have  few  sympathizers,  the  verdict  of  almost  every  one  being, 
"Served  them  exactly  right."  The  first  intimation  I  had  of  the 
row,  was  being  knocked  up  out  of  my  sleep,  by  Morse,  who  told 
me  of  the  fight,  and  your  escape;  I  was  afraid  to  venture  near 
the  room,  lest  some  of  the  police  might  be  prowling  near  the 
spot,  and  grab  me.  So  I  gave  Morse  a  bed,  and  waited  till  I  had 
daylight  for  it,  then  went  down  to  the  room.  There  wasn't  a 
soul  there,  nor  near  there.  The  door  was  smashed  in,  and 
broken  bottles,  chairs,  and  candlesticks,  together  with  other 


102  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

debris,  were  scattered  in  confusion  about  the  place,  showing 
plainly  that  some  hot  work  had  taken  place  there.  I  set  up 
the  broken  door  and  closed  the  trap,  which  you  had  left  open, 
and  went  home  again.  After  breakfast,  I  made  it  my  first 
business  to  call  upon  the  Marshal,  at  his  house,  and  demand  an 
explanation.  He  pretended  to  be  much  astonished,  and  declared 
this  was  the  very  first  he  had  heard  of  it.  He  went  on  to  state 
that  the  evening  before,  business  had  called  him  to  Wellsburg  (a 
place  about  eight  miles  above,  on  the  river),  where  he  was  unex 
pectedly  detained,  and  did  not  arrive  at  home  until  two  o'clock 
in  the  morning.  He  then  asked  me  to  come  back  at  noon,  say 
ing  by  that  time  he  should  have  succeeded  in  getting  all  the 
particulars  relating  to  the  affair,  and  would  let  me  know  all 
about  it ;  at  the  same  time  expressing  great  concern,  and  asking 
me  where  you  were.  I  told  him  I  didn't  know,  and  I  waited 
anxiously  enough  for  noon  to  come,  because  I  did  not  want  to 
come  over  here  until  I  could  bring  you  all  the  news  I  could  collect 
in  relation  to  the  matter.  In  the  meantime  I  saw  old  Griffiths, 
and  some  others  of  our  customers,  and  have  ascertained  that 
none  of  them  are  hurt;  nor  do  they  feel  the  least  uneasy 
regarding  the  affair.  Griffiths  said  several  had  checks,  which 
must  be  redeemed,  and  I  told  him  to  get  them  all  together,  and 
I  would  pay  him  the  money  for  them.  He  promised  to  do  so." 

"  That's  right,"  said  the  Major. 

"At  twelve,  precisely,"  continued  Lane,  "I  was  again  at  the 
Marshal's  house.  He  pretended  to  be  in  a  great  rage  with  the 
Mayor,  who,  he  told  me,  had  purposely  sent  him  to  Wellsburg,  on 
a  trumped-up  errand,  that  he  might  get  a  chance  to  arrest  you  in 
his  absence.  '  But  I'll  get  even  with  him  for  interfering  with  my 
duty,  the  old  villain,'  fumed  Clemmens,  shaking  his  fist.  '  I'm 
damn  glad  he's  got  licked,  instead  of  grabbing  your  friends,  that 
I  am,  Mr.  Lane.  But  he's  a  mighty  bitter  old  fellow,  a  bitter 
pill,  when  he  gets  started,  I  tell  you ;  so  tell  your  friends  to  fight 
shy  for  a  few  days  till  this  business  blows  over,  and  he  won't  love 
you  any  better  for  it ;  so  keep  your  eye  skinned  for  him,  Mr.  Lane.' 
I  thanked  him  for  his  advice,"  said  Lane,  "  but  told  him  I  had  no 
idea  where  you  were,  but  if  I  found  out,  should  not  fail  to  post  you 
up.  After  skirmishing  around  some  time  longer,  he  inquired  how 
much  the  game  had  won.  I  told  him,  but  he  knew  almost  as 
well  as  myself;  he  was  always  asking  me  the  same  question, 


"WHEELING.  103 

every  time  we  met.  He  then  demanded  his  five  per  cent.  I  told 
him  you  had  the  money,  and  were  gone.  '  That's  got  nothing 
to  do  with  me ;  I  look  to  you,  Lane,  for  my  money/  he  replied. 
'If  that's  the  case,'  I  rejoined,  '  you'll  look  for  what  you  won't 
find;  for  I  tell  you  plainly  that  I  won't  give  you  a  cent.  You 
have  no  right  to  it ;  you  did  not  protect  my  friends  as  you 
promised.'  'I  did,  as  long  as  I  could,  Mr.  Lane,  and  you're 
not  going  to  cheat  me  out  of  my  money/  he  cried,  in  his  most 
domineering  manner.  '  Not  a  cent  will  you  get  from  me/ 1  re 
plied,  '  no,  not  if  'twas  to  save  your1  life,  Mr.  Clemmens ;  because 
I  believe  this  whole  affair  was  a  put-up  job  between  you  and  the 
Mayor,  to  rob  my  friends.' 

"  'You  say  that  to  cover  your  own  rascality  with  me ;  but  you 
give  me  my  money/  he  cried,  shaking  his  finger  in  my  face,  'or 
I'll  make  this  town  so  damned  hot  for  you,  that  'twont  hold  you.'" 

"  You  should  have  killed  the  damn  scoundrel  on  the  spot," 
said  the  Major,  excitedly. 

"I  don't  think,  Major,"  said  Lane,  smiling,  "that  that  would 
have  improved  matters  much,  in  my  case,  but  I  think  I  did 
better :  I  just  told  him,  point  blank,  that  I  didn't  believe  a  word 
of  his  Wellsburg  story,  neither  did  I  believe  the  Mayor  would 
have  dared  to  make  a  descent  on  us,  without  his  knowledge  and 
consent — that  I  was  satisfied  that  'twas  all  a  put-up  job.  '  Now, 
Mr.  Clemmens/  I  said,  'you've  been  good  enough  to  say  you'll 
make  this  town  too  hot  to  hold  me.  I'm  glad  you've  warned  me; 
I'll  do  the  same  little  favor  for  you.  When  the  grand  jury 
meets  the  first  of  next  month,  I'll  go  before  it  and  swear  that  I 
gave  you  one  hundred  dollars  as  a  bribe,  to  allow  a  faro  bank 
to  be  played  in  the  place.' 

"You  had  him  there,  Lane,  where  his  hair  was  short,"  said  the 
Major. 

"He  thought  so  himself,  I  reckon,"  replied  Lane,  "for  he 
wilted  immediately,  and  insisted  that  he  didn't  mean  anything 
when  he  said  he'd  make  the  town  too  hot  for  me,  and  swore  to 
me  black  and  blue  that  my  suspicion  of  his  having  any  know 
ledge  of  the  Mayor's  intentions  to  arrest  you  was  all  wrong,  and 
finally  promised  to  have  the  whole  thing  hushed  up,  and  asked 
me  to  come  and  see  him  again  to-night  or  in  the  morning." 

''Morse  always  said  V,  was  a  thief,  and  would  betray  us  when 
ever  it  was  for  his  inte*  ost  to  do  so,  and  he  spoke  like  a  prophet," 
said  the  Major. 


104  "WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

"He  deceived  me,"  said  Lane;  "I  see  it  all  now.  He  was 
afraid  you'd  be  missing  some  fine  morning,  knowing  that's  what 
he'd  do  himself,  and  the  temptation  to  rob  you  while  he  could 
was  too  much  for  him.  You  had  too  much  money,  '  that's  what's 
the  matter,'  so  he  just  put  up  the  job  that  the  Mayor  should  ar 
rest  you,  while  he  kept  out  of  the  way,  to  blind  me.  They  thought 
they  could  squeeze  ten  or  fifteen  hundred  dollars  out  of  you,  at 
least — a  big  prize  for  them." 

"By  the  Eternal!  they  caught  the  prize;  but  'twas  a  Scotch 
one,"  laughed  the  Major;  "but  you  must  hunt  up  our  friends  and 
redeem  their  checks — I'll  give  you  the  money  to  do  so — and  bring 
over  our  baggage  from  the  hotel,  and  settle  our  bills.  Do  it  to 
day,  because  I  want  to  leave  this  place  to-morrow."  Then  a  new 
crotchet  seized  the  Major's  brain.  Overjoyed  at  the  result  of  our 
intended  capture,  he  wanted  Lane  to  invite  all  our  players  to 
come  over,  and  he  would  give  them  a  dinner.  He  ordered  him 
to  bring  a  couple  of  gallons  of  the  best  brandy  he  could  find, 
together  with  two  baskets  of  champagne.  "  Bring  old  Griffiths; 
he's  a  full  team,  by  the  Lord !  and  don't  forget  Dougherty,  Lane ; 
he's  the  only  Irishman  I  ever  liked;  and  we'll  make  a  jolly  night 
of  it,  for  I'm  in  the  humor,  and  feel  like  a  young  colt." 

But  Lane,  after  much  argument,  dissuaded  the  Major  from  his 
hospitable  intentions,  representing  to  him  their  impropriety. 
"  Those  gentlemen,  Major,  don't  want  to  come  all  the  way  over 
here  to  eat  a  dinner  at  a  one-horse  country  tavern,  where  they 
can  get  nothing  fit  to  eat  anyhow ;  and  besides,  consider,  they 
want,  of  course,  to  keep  as  quiet  as  possible  just  now,  in  conse 
quence  of  this  affair.  If  they  are  not  already  known  to  the 
authorities,  their  coming  over  here  to  feast  with  you  would  spot 
every  one  of  them  out  at  once,  because  Clemmeus  and  the  rest 
would  be  sure  to  hear  of  it.  Never  mind  the  dinner ;  save  your 
money,  Major;  you'll  feel  all  the  better  after  it  to-morrow  morning. 
There's  a  boat  expected  down  in  the  morning,  and  I'll  have  your 
luggage  over  in  good  time,  and  my  team  to  take  you  to  Bellaire, 
where  you  can  get  aboard  of  her."  The  Major  reluctantly  yielded 
to  the  advice  of  Lane,  who  shortly  left  us  for  the  night. 

On  the  following  day,  a  little  after  noon,  Lane  made  his  ap 
pearance  in  a  carriage,  bringing  our  baggage;  we  entered  it  and 
were  driven  to  Bellaire.  a  town  about  four  miles  further  down 
the  river.  The  expected  steamer  had  not  been  heard  from  when 


WHEELING.  105 

Lane  left  Wheeling.  From  him  we  learned  the  important  facts 
that  Morse  was  on  a  spree  and  that  no  arrests  had  been  made 
of  parties  engaged  in  our  affair,  nor  were  any  likely  to  be  made. 
The  Marshal  had  said  there  would  be  none,  and  had  apologized 
for  his  rough  language  to  Lane. 

"Look  out  for  him,  Mr.  Lane,"  I  said;  "  he's  only  waiting  to 
get  a  good  tight  grip  on  you." 

"  I've  nothing  to  fear  from  him,  Jack,  and  if  he  ever  fools  me 
again  'tis  my  own  fault.  However,  I'm  going  to  leave  the  place; 
I'm  going  to  Richmond  to  live." 

"  That's  the  talk  !"  cried  the  Major.  "  I'm  glad  to  see  you've  got 
some  wisdom  at  last.  But  when  are  you  going  to  start  ?  Will 
you  take  your  family  with  you  ?" 

"Yes,  sir,  I  shall;  and  all  that  now  detains  me  is  some  busi 
ness  matters,  which  it  will  take  about  a  month  to  arrange  satis 
factorily  j  then  I'm  off  for  Richmond." 

"  I'm  glad  to  hear  you  say  so — that's  the  place !"  cried  the  Major, 
enthusiastically,  "the  paradise  of  the  world!  The  only  spot  on 
earth  fit  for  a  gentleman  to  live  in !  and  when  I  meet  you  there, 
sir,  I'll  extend  the  right  hand  of  fellowship  to  you,  sir,  as  I've 
always  done !" 

"Thank  you,  Major;  shall  I  see  Jack  there  with  you  f" 

"  Certainly,  sir!  Why  do  you  ask  such  a  foolish  question  ?  Jack 
leave  his  guide,  companion,  tutor, friend  ?  No,  sir;  we're  going  to 
open  a  gambling-house  in  Richmond,  and  shall  expect  you  to  drop 
in  upon  us  when  you  arrive." 

Lane  promised  to  do  so.  He  remained  with  us  till  near  sun 
down,  when  the  anxiously  expected  boat  having  put  in  an  appear 
ance,  we  took  our  farewell  of  him  and  got  on  board.  Early  the 
next  morning  the  steamer  touched  at  Marietta;  but  the  Major 
and  myself  confined  ourselves  strictly  to  our  berths,  until  she  had 
started  again  on  her  journey.  In  the  evening  we  reached  Par- 
kersburg,  where  we  landed,  and  took  up  our  quarters  at  the  only 
hotel  in  the  place  for  the  night. 


106  WANDERINGS  OP  A  VAGABOND. 

CHAPTER    XII. 

"ON  TO  RICHMOND." 

Richmond,  a  name  made  famous  forever,  when  the  Welsh 
Earl  who  bore  it  plucked  the  crown  of  England  from  the  head 
of  the  tyrant  Richard  on  Bosworth  Field.  How  revered  has 
that  name  been  by  Englishmen ;  with  it  they  have  christened 
towns,  streets,  terraces,  ships,  villas,  and  palaces ;  and  then,  as 
if  afraid  that  some  fearful  calamity  might  destroy  every  vestige 
of  it  in  their  own  beautiful  isle,  they  transplanted  it  to  tu^  new- 
world  just  waking  into  life,  and  bestowed  it  on  that  spot  o;:  the 
James  River,  which,  for  more  than  two  hundred  years,  was  the 
headquarters  of  a  barbarous  and  disgraceful  traffic — the  illustri 
ous  mart  of  slavery;  the  Mecca  of  slave-dealers ;  the  stronghold 
of  the  Confederacy ;  renowned  for  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
sieges  in  the  annals  of  butchery. 

"  Mr.  President,  will  you  favor  one  of  my  friends  with  a  pass 
to  Richmond  ?  "  requested  a  grave  senator. 

"It's  useless,  sir;  I've  already  given  passes  to  200,000  men  to 
go  to  Richmond,  and  they  haven't  got  there  yet,"  replied  the 
witty  Lincoln. 

The  Major  and  myself  did  not  encounter  so  many  difficulties, 
however,  as  Mr.  Lincoln's  200,000  soldiers.  Traveling  in  the 
slow  coaches  of  the  period,  we  managed  to  reach  there  on  the 
third  day  after  leaving.  Parkersburgh.  It  was  the  middle  of  July 
when  we  entered  the  place,  and  the  busiest  season  there  was 
just  commencing.  The  slave-traders  were  arriving  from  the  Cot 
ton  States  to  purchase  their  human  chattels,  and  the  tobacco 
merchants  were  busy  preparing  for  their  fall  business.  The 
city  was  full  of  strangers  with  plethoric  purses,  a  fair  share  of 
whom  had  no  sort  of  objection  to  while  away  a  leisure  hour  in  a 
combat  with  the  "tiger." 

The  Major  purchased  an  interest  in  a  suite  of  handsomely  fur 
nished  gambling-rooms  in  a  desirable  location,  for  which  he  paid 
$1,100.  The  gentleman  of  whom  we  bought  retained  a  third 
interest  hi  them.  We  entertained  our  customers  with  suppers, 
which  were  served  every  night  at  eleven  o'clock,  and  also  fur 
nished  them,  gratuitously,  with  liquors  and  cigars.  In  the  course 


ON  TO  RICHMOND.  107 

of  a  few  weeks  we  had  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  we  were 
doing  as  prosperous  a  business  in  our  line  as  any  house  in  the 
city.  Mr.  Wilson  was  as  popular  with  the  sporting  fraternity  of 
Richmond  as  any  gambling-house  keeper  in  the  city,  and  de 
servedly  so.  He  was  a  plain,  unassuming  man,  kind  and  oblig 
ing,  of  polished  manners  and  easy  address.  It  was  his  boast 
that  he  had  not  an  enemy  in  the  world.  He  was  about  fifty  years 
of  age  and  the  father  of  a  grown-up  family,  and  had  lived  in 
Richmond  nearly  all  his  life.  The  Major  was  also  a  well-known 
character  in  Richmond,  and  an  exceedingly  popular  one  among 
the  card-playing  portion  of  the  city ;  so  much  so,  indeed,  that  he 
could  easily  have  obtained  an  interest  in  any  of  the  popular 
gambling-houses  of  the  place,  and  had  he  located  himself  per 
manently  there,  could,  without  doubt,  have  amassed  a  fortune. 
But  his  rambling  proclivities  would  not  permit  him  to  do  so.  Six 
mouths  or  a  year  was  the  utmost  the  Major  could  bo  induced  to 
confine  himself  to  any  one  place.  But  wherever  he  went  he  made 
valuable  acquaintances,  especially  among  the  gambling  fraterni 
ty,  and  there  was  no  faro-dealer  in  Richmond  who  had  the  same 
influence  among  the  negro-traders  that  the  Major  possessed. 
Numbers  of  these  constantly  filled  the  city,  and  were  by  far  the 
best  customers  to  the  faro  games.  From  August  to  November 
they  were  incessantly  going  and  coming ;  and  in  the  evenings  our 
rooms  were  thronged  with  them.  They  made  their  headquarters 
at  the  gambling-rooms,  made  appointments  to  meet  their  friends 
there,  and,  being  generally  loaded  with  money,  would  play  liber 
ally  against  the  faro-bank  ;  while  but  in  few  cases  would  one 
win  $500  at  one  sitting,  many  of  them,  during  a  sitting  of  bad 
luck,  would  lose  from  $1,000  to  $5,000,  some  having  lost  as  high 
as  $20,000  in  a  single  night.  With  all  their  bad  qualities,  I  never 
knew  a  negro-trader  to  sue  for  money  lost  at  gambling ;  but 
generally  speaking  it  was  not  safe  to  gamble  with  any  of  them 
on  a  credit.  No  class  in  the  South  derived  greater  profits  from 
their  investments  than  the  negro-trader,  and  none  were  held  in 
greater  abhorrence.  In  the  more  northern  Slave  States  their  ad 
vent  on  a  farm  was  a  source  of  unbounded  terror  and  dismay  to 
the  blacks,  to  whom  "  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  trader,  to  be 
sold  down  South,"  was  their  greatest  fear;  a  threat  to  that 
effect  generally  having  the  power  to  reduce  the  most  obdurate 
at  once.  Should  business  call  them  to  a  farm-house,  the  hospi- 


108  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

talities  of  the  place  were  not  extended  to  them.  The  hand  of 
friendship,  except  among  those  of  their  own  ilk,  never  touched 
theirs ;  and  brutalized  as  they  were  by  their  horrid  traffic,  and 
callous  as  they  became  from  the  cruelties  attending  upon  it,  they 
still  retained  a  keen  sense  of  their  degradation.  The  slave- 
breeders  of  the  Border  States,  after  bartering  with  them  his  hu 
man  flesh  for  their  gold,  would  feel  his  reputation  endangered  if 
he  recognized  them  socially  in  public.  The  lordly  planter, 
whose  laborers  were  supplied  to  him  by  the  trader,  would  com 
municate  with  him  only  through  his  factor,  and  would  have 
considered  himself  lowered  if  even  seen  in  conversation  with  him. 
This  social  ostracism  had  the  tendency  to  make  them  hate  then: 
own  species;  and  their  great  object  in  life  was  to  speedly  make 
a  fortune  hi  their  nefarious  traffic,  and  withdraw  from  it  as  soon 
as  possible,  hoping  their  wealth  would  cover  their  former  sins, 
and  give  them  a  respectable  position  in  society.  In  manners, 
habits,  and  education,  they  were  but  very  little  farther  advanced 
than  the  most  ignorant  blacks  they  bought  and  sold.  Most  of 
them  had  begun  life  as  overseers  on  small  plantations,  at  salaries 
varying  from  $500  to  $2,000  per  annum,  according  to  the  value 
of  the  place  on  which  they  were  employed,  or  the  duties  entrust 
ed  to  them.  If  they  ever  possessed  a  spark  of  humanity  or 
decency,  their  slave-whipping  profession  in  a  few  years  com 
pletely  quenched  it,  and  they  learned  and  retained  through 
life  the  low,  mean  cunning  which  characterizes  the  negro  slaves 
under  their  charge.  They  obtained  a  knowledge,  from  the 
nature  of  their  business,  of  the  qualities  of  negroes :  what  amount 
of  labor  they  could  perform,  and  for  what  kinds  they  were  most 
suitable;  also  the  amount  of  labor  requisite  yearly  on  the  various 
plantations,  or  the  towns  and  cities  adjacent  to  where  they  lived. 
They  also  made  themselves  acquainted  with  the  chances  which 
might  arise  regarding  the  rise  and  fall  of  slave  property.  From 
buying  a  single  slave  and  selling  at  a  profit,  they  would,  step  by 
step,  increase  their  gains,  until  they  had  accumulated  a  suffi 
cient  fund  to  justify  them  in  throwing  up  their  situation  as  over 
seer  and  start  out  on  their  own  hook  as  a  buyer  and  seller  of 
human  beings.  They  would  then  invest  money ;  purchasing  in 
with  the  owner  of  some  slave-pen,  or  possibly  gain  the  confidence 
of  some  capitalist,  whose  thin-skinned  scruples  would  not  permit 
him  to  be  publicly  engaged  in  such  a  traffic.  They  then  opened 


ON  TO  RICHMOND.  109 

a  slave-pen  of  their  own.  To  furnish  these  with  an  assortment 
of  slaves  suitable  for  their  neighborhood,  they  visited  the  great 
slave  mart  of  Richmond  each  summer  and  fall,  that  being  sup 
plied  by  the  slave-breeders  of  Virginia,  Maryland,  Delaware, 
eastern  Tennessee,  and  Kentucky. 

It  was  the  custom  of  these  negro-traders,  whenever  they 
bought  a  new  slave,  to  administer  to  him,  as  soon  as  convenient, 
a  dose  of  seventy-five  or  a  hundred  strokes  of  a  paddle.  This 
instrument  was  shaped  similarly  to  the  bats  used  by  school 
boys  in  playing  ball,  and  about  the  same  size.  It  was  made  of 
tough  oak  wood,  and  was  about  two  inches  in  thickness,  being 
bored  all  over  with  small  gimlet  holes.  The  object  of  this  last 
being,  that  when  the  air  was  expelled  through  these  holes  it 
would  draw  the  flesh  up,  causing  a  sharp  stinging  sensation. 
Sometimes  a  rawhide  was  substituted.  When  the  victim  had 
partially  recovered  from  this,  he  was  lashed  up  again,  and  given 
another  flogging.  The  object  of  this  cruelty  being  to  give  him 
a  "healthy  scare,"  as  it  was  termed;  or,  in  plainer  English,  pre 
pare  him  for  his  future  discipline.  "  Indulge  a  nigger  at  the 
start,"  they  argued  astutely,  and  he'll  take  advantage  of  your 
kindness,  shuah !  He'll  think  he  can  lie  and  steal  with  impu 
nity,  and  when  you're  compelled  to  whip  him  for  his  dirty  tricks, 
sir,  he'll  cut  away  from  you  the  very  first  chance  he  gets ;  then 
you've  got  to  keep  on  whipping  him,  just  as  long's  you  own  him. 
Spoils  the  sale  of  him,  too.  Nobody  wants  to  buy  a  run- away 
nigger!  But  if  you  give  him  a  "healthy  scare"  to  begin  with, 
you'll  have  no  trouble  afterwards.  This  inhuman  policy  was 
literally  carried  out  in  nearly  every  slave-pen  throughout  the 
South.  The  slaves,  while  there,  were  well  fed  and  well  clothed, 
without  being  compelled  to  work,  in  order  to  make  them  look 
sleek,  and  sell  well,  but  were  lashed  unmercifully  in  order  to 
make  their  prison  a  hell  to  them  which  they  could  only  escape 
by  getting  a  new  master.  Therefore,  whenever  a  customer  en 
tered  the  pen,  these  unfortunates,  being  drawn  up  in  line  for 
inspection,  would  cry  out,  "  Buy  me,  masser ;  I'se  wants  to  lib 
wid  ye;"  or,  "I'se  a  good  hand  for  dat  ar'  work,  massa,"  at  the 
same  time  furtively  watching  the  eye  of  the  negro-trader,  to  see 
whether  their  actions  were  approved  by  him.  The  most  misera 
ble  period  of  a  slave's  existence  was  when  he  was  left  to  the 
tender  mercies  of  the  trader. 


110  -WAXDERIXGS  OP  A  VAGABOND. 

While  in  Richmond  I  frequently  attended  sales  of  slaves, 
when  would  be  congregated  swarms  of  traders  from  the  Cotton 
States.  The  despairing  faces  and  heart-rending  cries  of  the 
poor  wretches,  huddled  about  the  auctioneer's  stand,  as  the  de 
scent  of  the  hammer  tore  asunder  wives  and  husbands,  parents 
and  children,  found  no  throb  of  sympathy  in  the  breasts  of 
these  inhuman  fiends.  I  cannot  recollect  ever  hearing  one  of 
them  offer  a  single  kind  word,  or  even  ask  a  question  in  a  kind 
tone,  of  a  slave  under  the  hammer  of  the  auctioneer,  or  do  the 
smallest  kindness  in  any  way  whatever;  on  the  contrary,  they 
would  rattle  off  volleys  of  rude  jokes,  and  obscene  and  scurrilous 
expressions,  at  the  expense  of  the  poor  wretches,  who  had  no 
power  to  prevent  them  from  doing  what  they  would. 

One  day  a  beautiful  quadroon  girl  of  eighteen  or  nineteen 
was  placed  on  the  block  to  be  sold ;  her  appearance  created  a 
decide  sensation.  She  had  been  torn  from  her  home  by  the 
sheriff  and  put  under  the  auctioneer's  hammer,  to  satisfy  the 
vreditors  of  her  deceased  master  and  father.  The  girl  was  in 
agony.  Evidently  tenderly  raised,  the  tears  of  shame  and  morti 
fication  coursed  down  her  cheeks,  while  she  tried  to  shrink 
away  from  the  lascivious  looks  and  scurrilous  remarks  of  the 
traders  standing  about — every  now  and  then  one  more  bold 
than  the  rest,  reaching  forth  his  hand  to  take  hold  of  hers,  her 
arms,  or  even  her  limbs,  ostensibly  to  ascertain  if  the  article  on 
sale  was  perfect  in  wind  and  limb.  At  these  she  would  dart  an 
indignant  glance  and  get  farther  back  behind  the  auctioneer, 
her  beautiful  face  crimson. 

"Gentlemen,"  cried  the  auctioneer,  striking  with  his  mallet 
on  his  desk,  to  command  attention,  "we  shall  now  offer  you  a 
rare  bargain  in  the  '  girl '  Alice.  She  is  eighteen  years  of  age, 
and  warranted  sound,  physically  and  mentally.  She  understands 
reading,  writing,  geography  and  arithmetic,  and  also  all  the 
duties  of  housekeeping.  She  can  also  play  the  piano  beau 
tifully." 

"  Christ !"  roared  one  of  the  bystanders,  "are  we  expected  to 
buy  all  that  ar'  larnin'  an'  music,  'long  with  the  gal?  " 

"She'll  swing  high  for  a  mistress  for  some  o' them  'parley 
vous '  down  there  in  New  Orleans !  "  said  another. 

"Can't  ye  take  her  in,  Dodds?"  queried  a  diminutive  swarthy- 
faced  dealer  from  Georgia. 


Oil  TO  RICHMOND.  Ill 

"  Too  much  on  the  weepin'  wilier  order  for  my  cash,"  respond 
ed  the  corpulent  individual  with  a  bloated  face  addressed  as 
Dodd. 

"A  couple  o'  dozen  with  a  rawhide  '11  damn  soon  fetch  that 
ar'  all  right,  and  bring  her  into  the  traces,  and  I'm  just  the  man 
to  do  it,"  responded  another  voice  from  the  crowd. 

"You've  hit  it  there  Gibbs,  'cos  she  ain't  never  had  the  skin 
cracked  on  her  yet,"  sung  out  another  worthy. 

But  the  bidding  for  Alice  now  becoming  very  spirited,  all  tho 
traders  bidding,  she  ascended  rapidly  in  price,  from  four  hundred 
dollars  to  eleven  hundred.  Dodd,  of  the  bloated  frontispiece,  who 
was  from  New  Orleans,  had  the  call.  I  had  become  much  inter 
ested  in  the  girl.  Her  modest  demeanor  and  her  uncontrollable 
distress  so  affected  me  that  I  resolved  that,  sooner  than  fall 
into  the  hands  of  those  brutes,  I  would  bid  fifteen  hundred  for 
her,  and  send  her  to  my  foster-mother,  should  I  be  so  fortu 
nate  as  to  have  her  knocked  down  to  me.  Happily,  I  was  re 
lieved  of  such  a  burden,  and  enabled  to  save  my  money,  to  say 
nothing  of  escaping  from  the  ridiculous  position  in  which  such  a 
course  would  have  placed  me,  by  having  my  motives  falsely 
construed.  A  new  competitor  now  appeared  on  the  scene,  and 
commenced  to  contest  the  prize  vigorously  with  the  slave-deal 
ers.  He  was  a  merchant  of  well-known  respectability,  who  was 
influenced  by  some  of  her  late  father's  friends  to  secure  her. 
The  trader  who  was  now  certain  of  his  prey  had  just  bidden 
$1,250,  when  the  merchant  put  in  his  bid  of  $1,300,  and  was 
declared  the  owner  of  Alice;  a  remarkably  heavy  sum  for  a 
slave  to  fetch  in  those  days. 

The  gambling-rooms  of  Richmond,  as  I  said  before,  were  the 
peculiar  "  stamping-ground"  of  these  gentry,  during  their  leisure 
hours.  The  excitement  attendant  upon  seeing  and  participat 
ing  in  the  games  helped  to  while  away  some  of  those  weary 
hours  which  hung  so  heavily  on  their  hands  from  the  time  bus 
iness  closed  for  them  until  it  was  time  for  them  to  seek  their 
several  virtuous  couches.  They  were  our  principal  customers, 
and  our  best  ones. 

Lane  arrived  in  Eichmond  a  few  weeks  after  us,  and  was 
given  an  interest  in  the  bank.  He  and  I  did  the  dealing  prin 
cipally,  assisted  at  intervals,  if  we  desired,  by  Mr.  Wilson  or 
the  Major.  These  latter  gentlemen  attended  to  the  entertainment 
of  our  guests,  and  to  the  management  of  the  business  in  general. 


112  •WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

From  the  beginning  of  the  month  of  August,  up  to  the  close  of 
the  race  meeting  in  the  middle  of  November,  Lane  and  myself 
were  kept  at  unremitting  work,  with  not  a  moment  to  spare. 
During  the  race  week,  which  was  our  busiest  time,  the  Major 
did  not  come  near  the  room,  but  devoted  his  tune  and  attention 
solely  to  the  turf  and  turfmen.  Horse-racing  was  a  weakness 
of  the  Major's;  he  was  posted  up  in  the  pedigree  of  every 
thoroughbred  horse  which  had  made  his  mark  on  the  turf  in  his 
time,  and  particularly  acquainted  with  every  great  race  that  had 
been  run  in  the  country  since  the  time  when  Eclipse  and  Henry 
contended  for  the  honors  of  the  turf  on  Long  Island.  Such 
noted  turfmen  as  Col.  Wm.  R.  Johnson,  Mr.  John  C.  Stevens, 
John  Crowell,  and  others  of  that  ilk,  were  deities  in  the  eyes  of 
the  Major.  And  he  would  sooner  have  received  a  nod  of  re 
cognition  from  one  of  them  than  from  the  "Hemperor  of  hall  the 
Rooshias,"  had  he  been  standing  before  him,  on  his  own  icy  soil. 

The  Major  backed  what  he  supposed  to  be  the  winning  horse, 
on  every  available  occasion ;  but,  like  many  another  of  his  pro 
fession,  generally  came  to  grief,  and  left  the  course  a  sadder,  if 
not  a  wiser  man. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

THE  HORSE. 

Many  philosophers  groping  far  down  into  the  mists  of  time, 
for  the  origin  of  the  horse,  would  have  us  believe  the  earth 
was  replenished  with  horses,  as  it  was  repopulated  with  men, 
from  those  which  were  saved  in  the  ark  commanded  by  Captain 
Noah ;  and  as  the  Captain  discharged  his  cargo  somewhere  hi 
the  region  of  Mesopotamia,  and  near  the  head-waters  of  the 
Tigris  and  Euphrates,  they  insist,  with  their  usual  pertinacity, 
that  frotQ  that  country  emanated  the  equine  breed,  whose  de 
scendants  are  found  at  the  present  day  on  nearly  every  part  of 
the  known  globe.  These  learned  sages  have  based  their  opin 
ions  entirely  on  biblical  authority,  which  informs  us  that  when 
Joseph,  of  the  "coat  of  many  colors,"  splurged  it  so  extensively 
in  that  sacred  land  of  cats  and  onions,  that  the  horse  was  well- 
known  in  Egypt.  "We  are  also  informed,  by  the  way,  that  the  n't- 


THE  HOESE.  113 

tie  game  of  "cornering,"  so  frequently  practiced  in  Wall  street, 
was  well-known  to  the  pious  Joseph.  He  "cornered"  all  the 
corn  in  the  country,  and  compelled  the  starving  inhabitants  to 
exchange  for  it  their  flocks  and  herds  and  houses  and  lands. 
Holy  writ  also  makes  us  acquainted  with  the  fact  that,  long  after 
the  death  of  Joseph,  his  countrymen  were  driven  into  the  Bed 
Sea  by  the  Egyptian  cavalry,  and  that  by  this  speculation  Egypt 
lost  many  men  as  well  as  horses. 

That  warbling  maniac,  Habakkuk,  informs  us  that  the  Chal 
deans  had  horses  swifter  than  leopards  and  fiercer  than  even 
ing  wolves,  leaving  us  to  infer  that  leopards  were,  in  the  time 
of  that  prophet,  exceedingly  swift  of  foot,  and  that  evening 
wolves  were  more  fierce  than  morning  animals  of  that  species. 

We  are  not  compelled  by  any  means  to  rely  solely  on  the 
Bible  for  evidence  of  the  antiquity  of  the  horse.  The  sculptures 
excavated  from  the  ruins  of  Assyria,  Persia,  and  Egypt,  many  of 
which  represent,  in  bas  relief,  those  animals  engaged  in  the  chase, 
in  labor,  and  in  battle,  inform  us  that  the  equine  breed  have 
been  the  friends  and  companions  of  men  in  those  countries  as  far 
back  as  their  annals  extend.  Herodotus  and  Zenophon  de 
scribed  the  fine  qualities,  and  mention  the  abundance  of  horses 
possessed  by  the  Assyrians,  Egyptians,  and  Persians.  The 
Greeks  inform  us  they  received  the  horse  from  the  Egyptians,  but 
do  not  mention  at  what  period.  Perhaps  they  were  unable  to 
do  so.  Homer  speaks  of  horses  being  used  at  the  siege  of  Troy, 
but  the  bard  places  them  in  front  of  chariots,  never  under  the 
saddle.  The  Greeks,  contend  that  the  Romans  owe  the  horse  to 
them;  that  they  introduced  it  among  them,  and  taught  them 
how  to  ride  it.  If  so,  the  Romans  proved  themselves  worthy  of 
the  gift,  for  in  horsemanship  they  were  second  to  none.  The 
Carthagenians,  we  are  told,  brought  horses  into  Spain  and  Sicily, 
from  whence  they  could  easily  be  dispersed  through  Western 
Europe. 

Stubborn  people  exist,  who  believe,  contrary  to  the  received 
orthodox  opinion,  that  the  horse  was  originally  a  native  of 
Europe,  and  also  that  portion  of  Asia  which  lies  east  of  the 
Ural  Mountain  chain.  These  cavilers  contend  that  horses  were 
imported  at  various  times  into  Europe,  by  the  Celts,  Saxons, 
Teutons.  Cimbri  and  Huns,  who  migrated  from  the  great  steppes 
of  Asia,  a  region  abounding  in  horses.  These,  passing  into  Eu- 


114  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

rope,  took  with  them  their  shaggy  and  robust  little  horses,  and 
in  time,  these  receiving  better  care,  the  more  stimulating  climate 
of  the  North,  together  with  frequent  crossing  on  the  native 
breeds,  produced  a  larger,  more  powerful,  and  in  every  way 
superior  animal. 

They  think,  also,  that  the  countries  lying  west  and  south  of 
the  Caspian  Sea  also  principally  derived  their  horses  from  the 
great  central  plateau  of  Asia.  It  is  claimed  that  a  trade  of  this 
sort  existed  many  years  before  the  Christian  era,  and  that  horses 
were  brought,  by  the  way  of  the  Caspian  Sea,  west ;  and  from 
thence  into  Persia,  Assyria,  Egypt,  and  Greece,  and,  by  amal 
gamation  with  the  native  breeds,  became  light,  graceful,  and 
spirited. 

As  I  know  little  or  nothing  about  these  matters,  I  shall  dis 
pute  none  of  these  things,  but  leave  those  interested  to  squabble 
it  out  amongst  themselves.  Authentic  history  asserts  that  the 
Celtic,  Belgic,  German,  and  British  tribes  were  well  supplied 
with  horses  at  the  invasion  of  Julius  Caesar.  The  Romans  also 
tell  us  that  those  German  and  Scandinavian  tribes  who  wor 
shiped  "Woden,"  raised  on  their  "sacred  reservations"  a  breed 
of  white  horses  which  were  sacrificed  to  their  gods. 

From  Spam  have  come  finer  breeds  of  horses  than  any  other 
country  in  Europe.  In  the  days  of  Carthage  they  obtained  the 
Numidian  breed  abundantly,  and  during  the  long  sojourn  of  the 
Moors  in  the  country,  they  imported  and  cultivated  the  Arab 
breed.  Between  the  ninth  and  tenth  centuries  this  latter  cele 
brated  breed  was  cultivated  under  the  Caliphs,  and  rendered 
thereby  more  perfect,  in  speed,  beauty,  and  endurance,  than 
any  other  known  breed.  This  was  accomplished  by  carefully 
culling  out  the  most  superior  mares  and  stallions  for  breeding 
purposes,  adding  to  this  the  careful  rearing  and  training  of 
colts,  and  not  permitting  them  to  labor  except  under  the  saddle. 
It  is  more  than  probable  that  no  nation  could  have  succeeded  so 
well  as  did  the  Arabs.  They  loved  their  horses ;  they  were  their 
companions,  and  none  understood  their  natures  more  thoroughly ; 
yet  it  took  them  nearly  a  century  and  a  half  to  bring  him  to  his 
highest  perfection.  During  the  wars  of  the  Crusades,  these  light 
and  graceful  steeds  often  carried  their  Saracen  masters  beyond 
the  reach  of  danger,  when  their  lives  would  else  have  paid  the 
penalty.  When  stricken  from  the  saddle,  amid  the  strife  and  car- 


THE  HORSE.  115 

nage  of  battle,  the  generous  beast  would  not  desert  his  master, 
but  would  remain  until  consciousness  returned,  and  he  feebly 
crawled  into  his  saddle,  when  the  good  horse,  with  the  speed  of 
the  wind,  would  carry  him  away  to  a  place  of  safety.  They  were, 
however,  unable  to  stand  the  shock  of  battle  with  the  heavy 
beasts  which  bore  the  English  knights,  fiven  when  they  out 
numbered  them  ten  to  one. 

The  returning  Crusaders  brought  with  them  many  of  these 
beautiful  steeds  to  Europe,  to  cross  on  their  own  breeds,  and  which, 
no  doubt,  laid  the  foundation  for  those  superior  animals  which 
are  raised  there  at  the  present  day.  Ever  since  the  horse  has 
been  subjected  to  the  will  of  man,  and  taught  to  do  his  bidding, 
it  is  probable  that  he  has  made  his  speed  to  minister  to  his  pas 
time,  trials  of  speed  having  been  popular  from  their  earliest  ac 
quaintance  with  the  animal,  and  having  outlasted  all  amusements 
then  popular,  except  the  chase  or  athletic  sports.  Horse-racing 
was  a  regular  part  of  the  pastimes  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans, 
and  at  the  Olympic  games  purses  were  given  to  winning  horses ; 
but  what  these  people  chiefly  delighted  in  was  chariot-racing,  of 
which  numberless  accounts  are  extant.  We  have,  however,  no 
direct  proof  that  these  nations  paid  any  attention  to  improving 
the  speed  of  their  horses.  Though  Herodotus  tells  us  horses 
were  plentiful  among  the  Assyrians,  Medes,  Persians,  and  Egyp 
tians,  yet  we  do  not  need  his  assurance  of  that  fact,  for  we  see 
them  plentifully  displayed  at  the  present  time,  on  the  monuments 
and  other  sculptures  excavated  from  their  ruined  cities.  Why  is 
it  not  more  than  probable  that  horse-racing  was  one  of  their 
amusements  ? 

The  Greeks  and  Romans  considered  the  Persians  the  best 
horsemen  in  the  world,  and  if  we  are  to  believe  them,  every  man 
in  that  vast  empire  rode  on  horseback.  Luckily,  we  are  not 
compelled  to  swallow  everything  they  have  handed  down  to  us. 
It  is,  however,  highly  reasonable  to  suppose  that,  among  nations 
where  horses  were  so  plentiful,  racing  would  be  a  popular  amuse 
ment.  No  record  is  handed  down  to  that  effect,  and  we  have  as 
much  warrant  to  opine  that  the  different  Tartar  tribes  inhabiting 
Central  Asia  and  Europe,  and  who  at  times  swept  over  these 
countries  under  Attila,  Arphad,  or  Tenghis  Kahn,  and  Tamer 
lane,  also  amused  themselves  with  horse-racing,  as  well  as  murder 
ing  and  pillaging.  These  freebooters  were  always  on  horse- 


116  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

back,  and  it  is  presumable  the  rights  of  property  were  frequently 
tested  by  the  speed  of  their  horses.  But  let  us  leave  speculation, 
and  come  to  facts.  Arabia  may  be  considered  the  native  country 
of  the  horse,  and  the  place  where  he  has  been  brought  to  the 
greatest  perfection.  ^No  other  horses  have  ever  equaled  these, 
for  symmetry  of  form,  firmness  of  skin,  fire,  docility  of  temper, 
fleetness  and  endurance ;  and  it  has  been  chiefly  by  crossing  the 
breeds  of  other  countries  with  those  of  Arabia,  that  the  stock  has 
been  improved.  Strabo,  who  lived  about  the  beginning  of  the 
Christian  era,  asserted  that  horses  were  at  that  time  unknown  in 
that  country  a — thing  rather  difficult  to  believe — for  the  Arabs 
were  a  marauding  and  daring  race,  whose  robberies  constantly 
exposed  them  to  retaliation  from  hostile  armies,  and  it  seems  more 
than  likely  that  the  neighboring  nations  of  Egypt,  Syria,  and 
Persia,  abounding  in  horses,  they  would  have  at  least  captured 
some  from  their  enemies,  if  they  obtained  them  in  no  other  way. 
At  whatever  period  the  horse  may  have  fallen  into  the  possession 
of  the  Arab,  he  has  never  fallen  into  kinder  or  more  fostering 
hands.  Every  pains  was  taken  to  improve  his  looks,  speed, 
strength,  and  endurance,  and  many  of  the  owners  of  horses  among 
the  Arabs  know  the  pedigree  of  certain  of  their  animals  far  back 
for  several  centuries.  Arabia  was  also  the  first  country  on  the 
globe  where  the  cultivation  of  speed  was  encouraged,  and  prizes 
given  for  horses  to  compete  for,  and  which  was  really  the  founda 
tion  of  our  present  system  of  turf- racing. 

China,  which  contains  about  one-third  of  the  population  of  the 
globe,  and  whose  inhabitants  are  the  most  inveterate  gamesters 
hi  the  world,  know  nothing,  comparatively  speaking,  about  horse- 
racing.  In  the  north  of  China  the  Tartar  breed  of  horses  exists, 
and  answer  tolerably  for  the  labors  of  the  field,  and  under  the 
saddle;  but  their  speed  is  very  indifferent,  and  seldom  put  to  the 
test.  John  Chinaman  prefers  to  lose  his  money  at  cards,  dice, 
chess,  draughts,  "tse-mei,"  a  game  similar  to  the  Italian  "morra," 
than  on  the  speed  of  horse-flesh  He  is  inordinately  fond  of 
cock-fighting,  as  well  as  combats  between  crickets,  grasshoppers, 
etc.  In  Southern  China  horses  are  very  scarce,  and  are  not  even 
used  for  traveling  or  rural  labor.  The  government  employs  them, 
and  has  relays  at  certain  distances  throughout  the  empire,  to 
transport  their  mails  and  government  officials.  These  horses 
are  also  procured  from  Tartary.  They  are  unable  to  endure  the 


THE  HORSE.  117 

heat  of  the  south  more  than  a  few  years,  when  they  lose  their 
strength  and  become  completely  unserviceable.  The  great  rivers 
and  lakes,  together  with  their  numerous  canals,  in  a  great 
measure  relieve  the  Chinese  from  the  necessity  for  the  services 
of  the  noblest  of  the  brute  creation. 


KACERS. 

It  is  to  England  that  we  are  indebted  for  race  horses,  and  our 
present  system  of  racing.  Fine  breeds  from  Spain  and  Arabia 
have  been  imported  into  that  country  during  the  last  four 
centuries.  Persia  and  the  Barbary  States  have  also  yielded 
their  best  mares  and  horses,  which  were  brought  to  England  to 
improve  the  native  stock  by  amalgamation.  During  the  days  of 
chivalry,  speed  was  not  required  ;  strength  only  was  sought  for : 
to  carry  the  rider  and  his  ponderous  harness  of  mail.  By  the 
time  the  Tudors  ceased  to  reign  over  England,  the  hereditary 
land-owners  had  recovered  from  the  effects  of  the  cruel  and  de 
vastating  wars  of  the  Plantaganets ;  and  the  chase,  which  had 
for  a  long  time  fallen  into  disuse,  was  revived.  They  vied  with 
each  other  in  cultivating  the  qualities  of  speed  and  endurance 
in  their  hunters.  A  new  era  was  opened  for  the  horse :  speed 
and  beauty  were  required  in  him,  to  render  him  suitable  to 
minister  to  the  amusements  of  the  people.  In  the  reign  of  James 
I.  we  find  that  several  private  matches  were  run  for  heavy 
wagers ;  the  owners  of  the  horses  acting  as  their  own  jockeys. 
This  kind  of  sporting  rapidly  increased  in  favor  with  the  public. 
In  the  reign  of  Charles  I.,  race-courses  were  built  at  Newmarket 
and  at  Hyde  Park.  It  was  during  his  reign  that  the  custom 
was  established  of  running  for  cups,  instead  of  money,  a 
precedent  which  has  been  followed  up  to  the  present  day. 
During  the  reign  of  Charles  II.,  the  sports  of  the  turf  were  en 
couraged,  and  became  national.  The  Godolphin  Arabian  was 
imported  in  the  reign  of  George  II.  This  world-wide  celebrity 
was  the  ancestor  of  some  of  the  best  thorough-bred  racers  the 
world  has  ever  produced ;  and  those  who  are  learned  in  horse 
flesh  are  of  the  opinion  that  there  has  never  existed  a  trotter, 
worthy  of  the  name,  who  was  not  a  descendant  of  the  Godolphin 
Arabian.  It  is  said  this  noble  animal  was  a  present  from  the 
Emperor  of  Morocco  to  Louis  XIV.,  and,  after  the  death  of  that 


118  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

monarch,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  English ;  but  there  are  many 
conflicting  opinions  on  the  subject. 

It  was  also  during  the  reign  of  the  second  George  that  the 
celebrated  Flying  Childers  made  his  appearance ;  the  best  race 
horse  England  ever  had,  and  perhaps  the  best  the  world  ever 
saw.  He  was  never  beaten,  and  at  Newmarket  ran  three  miles,  . 
six  furlongs,  and  ninety-six  yards,  in  six  minutes  and  four 
seconds. 

About  the  same  time  saw  the  celebrated  English  Eclipse. 
This  remarkable  horse  won  for  his  owner  over  $100,000,  and 
was  the  progenitor  of  334  winners  of  the  turf.  All  nations  seek 
ing  the  "thorough-bred"  racer — which  means,  in  English  par 
lance,  one  whose  pedigree  can  be  traced,  without  a  stain,  for  eight 
generations,  ending  with  horses  of  eastern  origin — the  Godolphin 
Arabian,  Byerly  Turk,  or  the  Darby  Arabian — had  to  seek  them 
on  the  soil  of  England.  She  possesses  five  times,  at  least,  the 
amount  of  thorough-breds  more  than  the  balance  of  the  world, 
and  has  race-meetings  at  least  once  a  week  throughout  the 
entire  year,  with  the  exception  of  about  six  weeks  in  the  depth 
of  winter.  During  the  meetings  at  Derby  and  Newmarket, 
more  money  changes  hands  than  at  all  the  race-meetings  in  the 
United  States  during  the  year.  The  race-courses  are  attended 
by  all  classes  of  people,  and  are  opened  to  the  public  free  of 
charge,  except  the  grand  stands,  to  which  admittance  may  be 
had  for  a  few  shillings.  There  is  no  distinction ;  the  same  price 
carries  the  peasant  as  well  as  the  prince  to  any  part  of  the 
course  where  spectators  are  allowed.  What  a  contrast  to  the 
snobocracy  of  America !  The  slaveholding  aristocracy  of 
Charleston  and  New  Orleans,  of  whom  were  composed  the  racing 
associations  hi  those  cities,  caused  magnificent  stands  to  be 
erected  for  themselves  and  families,  and  their  invited  guests. 
None  of  their  plebeian  countrymen  were  admitted  to  them.  Still 
later,  when  the  slaveocracy  were  overthrown,  the  shoddy  aris 
tocracy,  comprising  the  Jerome  Park  Racing  Association,  near 
New  York,  seized  on  half  the  grand  stand,  which  was  splendidly 
fitted  up,  for  the  exclusive  use  of  the  Jords  of  wealth.  They 
had  also  a  fancy  castle  built,  on  a  knoll  nearly  opposite  the 
grand  stand,  with  coffee-houses,  restaurants,  etc.,  attached. 
Within  this  hallowed  precinct,  none  but  the  shoddyites  and  their 
invited  guests  might  venture.  What  are  we  coming  to  in  this 
free  Republic  ? 


THE   HORSE.  119 

THE     HORSE    IN     AMERICA 

Was  unknown  before  1493,  when  Columbus,  on  his  second  voyage, 
brought  several  with  him  to  the  West  ludies.  About  1519 
the  horse  was  introduced  into  Mexico  by  Cortez,  and  in 
1530  into  Peru,  by  Pizarro.  In  1527  a  Spanish  vessel  in  distress, 
laden  with  horses,  landed  on  the  coast  of  Florida.  They  were 
taken  on  shore,  from  whence  they  made  their  escape  into  the 
wilderness,  where  they  became  wild,  multiplied,  and  spread 
themselves  over  the  vast  region  known  as  the  Southern  States, 
and  far  over  the  wild  prairies,  to  the  shores  of  the  Pacific  Ocean. 
From  among  those  introduced  into  Mexico  by  the  Spaniards  in 
the  time  of  Cortez,  several  escaped  and  became  wild :  and  their 
descendants  spread  themselves  over  the  North  and  East,  so  that, 
in  course  of  time,  the  Indian  tribes  were  abundantly  supplied 
with  horses.  The  descendants  of  those  introduced  into  South 
America  by  the  Spaniards — many  of  them  escaped  from  the 
control  of  man — increased  in  numbers  in  their  wild  state,  until 
they  can  be  seen  in  droves  of  tens  of  thousands,  on  the  immense 
llanos  that  stretch  along  the  Orinoco  and  the  Amazon,  and  also 
on  the  pampas  extending  from  the  Rio  de  la  Plata  to  the  confines 
of  Patagonia.  The  color  cf  the  American  wild  horse  is  chestnut ; 
but  "pintos,"  or  spotted  horses,  are  found  among  them  in 
abundance.  All  wild  horses  of  Spanish  origin,  whether  in  North 
or  South  America,  coine  under  the  appellation  of  mustang,  and 
are  imbued  with  the  Numidian  and  Arab  blood.  These  are 
small,  but  hardy,  and  easily  sustained,  besides  being  capable  of 
great  endurance  under  the  saddle,  having  been  frequently  ridden 
a  hundred  miles  in  a  day.  Many  of  them  possess  great  speed, 
from  five  hundred  to  one  thousand  yards,  but  scarcely  any  of 
them  were  ever  known  to  last  a  mile. 

THOROTTGH-BREDS    OF    AMERICA. 

We  are  informed  that  early  in  the  eighteenth  century  thorough 
breds  were  brought  from  England  to  America,  and  shortly  after 
wards  their  breeding  was  encouraged  by  legislative  enactment. 
It  is  probable  they  were  first  introduced  by  officials  sent  out  to 
rule  over  the  colonies.  Virginia  had  been  regarded  as  the  race 
region  of  America,  and  her  ascendency  on  the  turf  was  decided ; 
so  much  so,  that  from  time  to  time  many  of  her  racers  were 


120  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

bought  by  the  colonies  of  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  New  Jersey, 
and  the  Carolinas,  and  transferred  to  their  own  borders.  In  this 
way,  competition  was  begot  and  fostered  throughout  the  length 
and  breadth  of  the  laud,  and  a  fancy  for  turf  sporting  increased 
with  the  wealth  and  increase  of  the  people.  It  is  natural  to 
suppose  that  owners  of  large  plantations  worked  by  slave -labor, 
fond  of  the  chase  and  all  kinds  of  field  sports,  should  devote 
their  attention  to  the  raising  of  fine  breeds  of  horses,  more 
especially  as  the  cultivation  of  the  racer  had  already  become 
popular  with  the  gentry  in  England.  They  found  this  country, 
in  soil  and  climate,  particularly  adapted  to  breeding  and  raising 
of  thorough-breds ;  thus  the  South,  and  afterwards  the  South 
west,  became  the  home  of  the  race-horse.  It  is  true  the  States 
of  New  York  and  New  Jersey  have  bred,  trained,  and  run,  some 
of  the  best  race-horses  this  country  has  ever  produced ;  but  the 
inhabitants  of  the  South  and  Southwest  were  an  agricultural 
people,  and  from  their  planters  and  stock-raisers  sprung  a  large 
majority  of  the  turfmen  who  established  and  perpetuated  racing 
in  this  country.  These  men  were  in  very  many  cases  among 
the  most  respected  citizens  in  their  States,  and  in  their  ranks 
might  be  found  statesmen,  lawyers,  doctors,  merchants,  and 
planters.  It  was  this  fact  which  made  racing  popular  with  the 
people,  and  in  no  part  of  the  country  did  it  take  such  a  hold  on 
the  masses  as  in  the  States  of  Virginia,  Maryland,  Kentucky, 
Tennessee,  Louisiana,  and  South  Carolina. 

The  era  of  racing  in  America  is  said  to  have  commenced  in 
1734.  Four  years  previous,  Bull  Eock,  a  son  of  the  Darby  Ara 
bian,  was  imported  from  England,  and,  from  time  to  time,  for 
more  than  a  century,  new  blood  was  infused  into  our  racers  by  the 
best  stock  which  could  be  procured  from  that  country.  1734  is 
supposed  to  be  the  date  of  the  first  race  for  a  prize — a  saddle  and 
bridle  valued  at  £20 ;  mile  heats,  four  entries.  The  affair  took 
place  near  the  city  of  Charleston;  a  course  was  staked  out  for  the 
occasion,  to  which  the  name  of  "York  Course  "  was  given.  From 
year  to  year  racing  over  this  course  was  continued  in  February 
or  March,  and  the  prizes  given  were  usually  a  silver  bowl,  tank 
ard,  or  waiter,  about  the  value  of  £100.  In  1754  another  course 
was  established  near  the  same  city,  which  was  called  the  "  New 
Market,"  and  where  racing  was  continued  up  to  1770.  About 
1765  the  first  course  of  which  we  have  any  account  in  Virginia 


THE  HORSE.  121 

was  opened  near  Richmond,  and  ten  years  later  one  was  made 
near  Baltimore,  and,  if  I  am  not  wrongly  informed,  two  more  on 
Long  Island  some  few  years  previous  to  the  commencement  of 
hostilities  between  the  colonies  and  the  mother  country.  Phila 
delphia,  also,  had  her  race  meetings  previous  to  the  revolution. 
During  that  struggle  racing  was,  of  course,  suspended  through 
out  the  country,  and  for  several  years  subsequent  it  did  not  re 
vive  in  any  shape  worthy  the  name,  save  in  South  Carolina, 
where  it  was  continued  up  to  the  time  of  our  civil  war.  Efforts 
were  made  to  revive  it  in  Virginia  after  the  close  of  the  revolu 
tion,  and  also  in  Maryland,  but  met  with  but  little  success  up  to 
1820.  As  early  as  1787  racing  was  inaugurated  in  Lexington,  Ky. , 
which  was  its  first  introduction  into  the  Southwest. 

The  revolution  broke  up  racing  in  the  country,  nor  can  it  be 
said  to  have  revived  until  we  had  somewhat  recovered  from  the 
effects  of  our  last  war  with  Great  Britain,  which  places  it  at  about 
1820.  No  inducement  was  offered  to  put  horses  in  training  for 
public  racing,  on  account  of  the  scarcity  of  money  in  the  country. 
Evenso  far  back  as  twenty-five  years  ago,  when  money  was  plen 
tiful,  compared  with  the  close  or  just  subsequent  to  our  war  with 
Great  Britain,  $800  was  the  regular  purse  given  for  four-mile 
heats,  $600  for  three,  and  $200  for  two-mile  heats.  Racing  did 
not,  in  fact,  assume  any  importance  here  until  after  1829,  at 
which  time  the  "  Turf  Register  "  was  established  at  Baltimore, 
and  to  which  paper  the  revival  of  that  sport  is,  in  a  great  mea 
sure,  due.  It  examined  into  the  different  pedigrees  of  horses, 
which  led  to  the  culling  out  of  the  pure  stock  from  the  impure, 
and  kept  before  the  public  the  names  of  prominent  turfmen, 
horse-breeders,  and  upholders  of  the  sports  of  the  turf.  It 
chronicled  the  different  racing  events  which  took  place  in  the 
country,  all  of  which,  combined,  gave  a  stimulus  to  racing  in  the 
Southern  States,  to  which  its  circulation  was  chiefly  confined. 
Fresh  horses  were  imported  from  England,  and  the  breeding  of 
them  entered  into  largely  by  the  stock-raisers  of  Virginia,  Ken 
tucky,  and  Tennessee,  who  saw  in  the  cultivation  of  the  racer  a 
source  of  large  profit.  Racing  rapidly  increased  in  popularity 
with  the  people.  From  1838  up  to  1848  was  its  golden  era  in 
America,  previous  to  our  civil  war.  In  that  decade  there  ap 
peared  on  the  turf  a  larger  number  of  first-class  horses  than  had 
ever  before  been  seen  in  this  country.  It  was  during  this  time 


122  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

that  a  race  for  one  of  the  largest  stakes  ever  run  for  in  any  coun 
try  took  place;  I  allude  to  the  "  Peytona  Stakes,"  given  at  Nash 
ville.  This  was  the  most  profitable  racing  event  which  ever  took 
place,  and  was  worth  more  to  the  winner  than  any  Derby  or  St. 
Leger  ever  run  off;  there  being  thirty  entries  for  $5,000  stakes 
and  $1,000  forfeit  each.  But  four  started  in  the  race,  leaving 
twenty-six  to  pay  forfeit,  making  the  stake  worth  to  the  winner 
$41,000  net.  It  was  won  by  Col.  Thomas  Watson's  chestnut 
filly,  "  Peytona."  The  first  match  made  to  test  the  speed  of  the 
racers  of  Virginia  and  other  Southern  States  against  those  of 
New  York  and  New  Jersey  took  place  in  1823.  It  took  place  on 
Long  Island,  and  was  between  Henry  and  Eclipse,  for  $20,000  a 
side.  Col.  Win.  R.  Johnson,  of  Virginia,  made  the  match  on  the 
part  of  Henry,  and  Mr.  John  C.  Stevens,  of  New  York,  on  the  part 
of  Eclipse.  This  race,  of  three  four-mile  heats,  was  run  in  the 
presence  of  more  than  sixty  thousand  spectators,  and  won  by 
Eclipse.  The  twelve  miles  were  made  in  23  minutes  and  59£ 
seconds,  and  more  than  $200,000  changed  hands  besides  the 
stakes. 

A  few  years  later,  the  southerner  again  met  the  northerner 
on  Long  Island.  This  time  the  contestants  were  Post  Boy,  a 
son  of  the  defeated  Henry,  and  John  Bascomb,asonofBertrand, 
owned  by  Col.  John  Crowell,  of  Alabama,  who  backed  his  horse 
for  $10,000.  Post  Boy  was  backed  by  Mr.  Tillotson  and  other 
prominent  New  Yorkers.  The  race,  which  was  run  in  four-mile 
heats,  was  won  by  the  southern  horse,  Bertrand. 

The  next  match  between  the  North  and  South,  was  that  of 
Boston  against  Fashion.  Boston  was  raised  in  Virginia  and 
Fashion  in  New  Jersey,  and  the  latter  was  the  victor.  The  race 
was  also  run  on  Long  Island,  for  $10,000  a  side.  It  is  believed 
by  many  eminent  turfmen  to  have  been  one  of  the  best  races 
for  that  distance  (four-mile  heats)  ever  run  in  this  country.  The 
time  was  7.32i — 7.451.  Fashion  carried  113  pounds,  and  Boston 
124  pounds. 

The  last  of  these  sectional  struggles,  to  test  the  speed  of  their 
respective  racers,  took  place  on  Long  Island  in  May,  1845,  be 
tween  Fashion  and  Peytona,  the  latter  being  the  victor.  The 
match  was  an  unequal  one,  and  should  never  have  been  made ; 
Peytona  being  five  years  old,  while  Fashion  was  quite  aged. 
But  the  victory  sent  a  thrill  of  triumph  through  the  South,  only 


THE  HORSE.  123 

equaled  by  that  caused  by  the  battle  of  Bull  Run.  After  the 
defeat  of  Fashion,  the  hoofs  of  the  High-mettled  racer  ceased  to 
resound  in  the  North  and  West.  The  business  of  raising  thorough 
breds  was  abandoned  for  the  more  lucrative  business  of  breeding 
trotters,  and  racing  continued  to  be  confined  to  the  South  until 
the  commencement  of  the  rebellion.  From  1845  until  the  com 
mencement  of  the  rebellion,  racing  was  principally  confined  to 
Charleston,  New  Orleans,  Lexington,  Nashville,  Louisville,  and 
Memphis.  The  rebellion  broke  up  racing  in  the  South,  and  drove 
those  turfmen  owning  horses  to  the  North,  where  the  sport  had 
sunk  so  low  that  scarcely  any  thorough-breds  were  owned  in  the 
Middle  or  Eastern  States.  The  Passaic  County  Agricultural 
Society,  at  Paterson,  New  Jersey,  was  the  first  to  give  encourage 
ment  to  racing  in  the  North.  That  attempt  being  successful, 
other  localities  were  sought,  with  a  view  to  extending  the  field  of 
operation.  Philadelphia  was  tried  in  the  spring  of  1863,  with 
but  indifferent  success,  and  abandoned.  In  August,  of  the  same 
year,  a  meeting  was  held  at  the  old  course,  at  Saratoga,  and  its 
success  resulted  in  the  building  of  the  new  and  splendid  course 
there,  and  it  has  become  one  of  the  most  popular  establishments 
in  the  country.  The  races  at  Saratoga  prompted  the  organiza 
tion  of  the  American  Jockey  Club  and  the  building  of  the  mag 
nificent  Jerome  Park  establishment,  and  since  that  the  one  at 
Long  Branch.  The  Jerome  Park,  Saratoga,  and  Long  Branch 
races  proved  a  great  success,  and  opened  the  eyes  of  the  South 
to  the  fact  that  the  mudsills  of  the  North  had  full  as  high  ap 
preciation  of  the  sport  of  racing  as  the  natives  of  their  own  sun 
ny  clime.  The  revival  of  racing  is  not  confined  to  the  States 
of  New  York  and  New  Jersey.  The  Maryland  Jockey  Club  have 
had  several  successful  meetings  at  their  newly  made  and  hand 
some  course.  Race  meetings  were  held  during  the  summer 
months  at  St.  Louis,  Cincinnati,  and  many  of  the  smaller  cities 
of  the  West.  The  South,  too,  has  gradually  recovered  her  abil 
ity  to  indulge  in  her  favorite  sport,  and  meetings  have  been  held 
at  New  Orleans,  Mobile,  Memphis,  and  Nashville. 

Such  is  the  field  open  to  the  enterprising  turfman.  And 
hence  it  is  in  no  way  surprising  that  many  gentlemen  of  means 
are  seeking  and  possessing  themselves  of  the  best  race-horses 
which  can  be  obtained,  including  many  from  England.  Only  a 
few  years  ago,  thirty  or  forty  horses  at  a  race  were  considered  a 


J24  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

sufficient  number  to  insure  a  good  meeting.  Now  they  can  be 
counted  by  hundreds  at  each*of  these  popular  gatherings.  More 
money  is  invested  in  race-horses  and  race-courses,  by  three  to 
one,  than  was  ever  before  done  at  any  period  in  this  country. 
This  revival  of  racing  is  due  in  a  great  measure  to  the  Ameri 
can  Jockey  Club,  at  Jerome  Park.  The  few  gentlemen  who  in 
itiated  this  institution  found  their  numbers  augmented  by  other 
gentlemen  of  wealth  and  influence,  and  in  a  short  time  the  or 
ganization  became  a  great  success.  Many  of  the  members  at 
once  became  owners  of  and  breeders  of  high-blooded  horses, 
and  this  created  such  a  rivalry  that  the  whole  country  became 
interested  in  the  undertaking,  and  more  racing  associations  were 
formed  at  other  fashionable  places.  There  are  at  the  present 
time  no  less  than  four  beautiful  and  popular  race-courses  within 
a  few  hours'  drive  of  the  city  of  New  York,  owned  and  patron 
ized  by  the  most  wealthy  and  cultured  people  in  the  land.  All 
these  organizations  owe  their  rise  and  progress  to  the  American 
Jockey  Club,  and  are  governed  by  its  rules  and  regulations. 
Acquisitions  are  daily  being  made  to  these  associations,  new 
stables  of  horses  being  formed,  and  many  people  who  a  few 
years  ago  could  not  be  induced  to  attend  a  race-meeting  alone, 
much  less  with  their  families,  are  now  buying  and  breeding 
thorough-bred  stock,  for  the  purpose  of  enjoying  that  interesting 
and  exciting  pastime. 

Many  turfmen  of  the  old  school,  and  some  of  those  who  com 
pose  the  new,  think  the  race-horse  of  to-day  vastly  inferior  to 
that  of  a  couple  of  decades  back.  They  assign  as  a  reason  for 
this  opinion,  that  we  have  no  horses  at  the  present  day,  or  near 
ly  none,  capable  of  running  four-mile  heats.  They  say,  if  the 
horses  of  the  present  day  show  more  speed,  it  is  because  the 
tracks  are  faster,  which  certainly  is  the  fact;  that  the  trainers 
are  more  skilled  in  their  art,  which  does  not  appear  so  reasona 
ble.  The  truth  is,  the  fogy  turfman  mourns  for  the  good  old 
time  when  endurance  was  as  much  sought  for  as  speed  in  the 
racer,  and  when  none  but  such  as  could  run  four-mile  heats 
could  be  rated  as  first-class  racers.  Until  within  the  last  fifteen 
or  twenty  years,  no  horse,  either  in  England  or  America,  was 
considered  a  first-class  racer  unless  able  to  do  so.  But  on  this 
subject  a  change  has  taken  place  in  the  opinions  of  the  turfmen 
of  both  countries.  The  breeding  of  four-milers  has  been  discon- 


THE  HORSE.  125 

tinned,  and  speed  is  more  sought  after  than  endurance.  It  is 
the  prevailing  opinion  among  turfmen,  that,  in  cultivating  the 
racer  for  four-mile  heats,  his  speed  is  diminished.  Dash-racing, 
both  in  England  and  America,  has  become  more  popular  with 
the  public.  It  brings  to  a  race  meeting  four  times  the  number 
of  horses,  increases  the  number  of  races,  makes  more  betting 
and  excitement,  and  last,  though  by  no  means  least,  has  super 
seded  the  cruel  practice  of  forcing  a  horse  to  run  the  exhaustive 
distance  of  twelve  miles,  which  is  much  more  often  painful  than 
amusing  to  the  spectators. 

From  careful  investigation,  there  is  no  evidence  to  show  that 
the  American  racer  of  to-day  has  in  any  respect  degenerated 
within  the  last  fifty  years;  or  that  the  English  racer  is  in  any 
way  his  superior.  Both  have  sprung  from  the  same  stock,  on 
both  has  been  bestowed  the  same  care  in  breeding  and  train 
ing,  and  whatever  difference  lies  between  them  must  be  attri 
buted  to  climate,  etc. 

Whether  we  or  the  English  have  the  fastest  horses,  has  long 
been  a  mooted  question  in  this  country.  In  England,  but  little 
attention  is  paid  to  timing  horses  during  a  race ;  in  this  coun 
try  it  is  the  barometer  which  informs  us  of  the  increasing  or  de 
creasing  speed  of  our  racers.  Americans  boast,  and  they  are 
good  boasters,  that  their  horses  can  outspeed  those  of  England. 
They  cite  the  oft-quoted  exploit  of  English  Eclipse,  and  claim 
that  many  of  our  horses  have  made  better  time  than  four  miles 
in  eight  minutes,  which  was  his  maximum.  They  claim  that 
Lexington  run  four  miles  in  less  than  seven  minutes  and  twenty 
seconds,  which  was,  they  assert,  faster  time  than  that  made  by 
Flying  Childers.  The  Americans  assert  that  the  elastic  turf 
and  the  straight  shape  of  the  English  courses  are  more  favora 
ble  to  speed  than  our  circular  ones  over  hard  tracks.  Whether 
a  horse  can  make  faster  time  over  a  mile  circular  track,  or  four 
miles  on  an  open  stretch,  would  seem  to  me  a  very  nice  ques 
tion.  I  believe,  however,  it  is  the  opinion  of  old  turfmen,  that 
the  circular  shape  of  a  course  favors  both  the  speed  and  endur 
ance  ;  that  in  turning  the  curves  the  horse  eases  himself,  and 
that  any  speed  which  he  thus  loses  is  more  than  compensated 
by  his  brushes  on  the  stretches ;  while,  in  running  four  miles  on 
a  straight  course,  he  has  no  opportunity  for  recuperation  by  once 
breaking  the  heavy  force  which  presses  him  onward  from  the 
score  to  the  goal. 


126  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

The  difference  in  running  horses  on  turf,  the  prevailing  cus 
tom  in  England,  and  running  them  over  prepared  tracks,  as  in 
this  country,  is  still  unsettled.  Most  Americans  believe  the 
former  to  be  the  fastest,  but  I  am  not  aware  that  any  one  up  to 
the  present  time  has  given  any  convincing  proof  in  support  of 
his  opinion.  Comparing  the  time  which  horses  have  made  over 
different  courses  is  no  true  test  of  their  relative  speed,  some 
courses  being  much  better  for  speed  than  others.  The  Metarie 
course,  and  those  of  Cincinnati,  Saratoga,  Paterson,  and  Provi 
dence,  are  considered  the  fastest  race-tracks  in  the  country.  It 
is  the  same  with  the  English  courses — some  are  elastic,  others 
are  hard  and  heavy.  Some  of  these  run  over  a  dead  level  plain, 
while  others  are  half  circular,  or  nearly  so,  and  many  are  with 
ascending  or  descending  grades,  consequently  horses  are  unable 
to  make  as  fast  time  over  some  as  over  others.  Eight  minutes 
making  four  miles  seems  slow  for  such  a  horse  as  English 
Eclipse,  when  we  have  had  several  racers  who  have  beaten  it, 
Tvhile  the  three  miles,  six  furlongs,  and  ninety-eight  yards,  made 
by  Flying  Childers  in  six  minutes  and  four  seconds,  astounds  us. 
The  only  true  test  of  relative  speed  is  to  start  the  two  horses 
together  on  the  same  track;  and  until  this  is  done  we  shall 
have  to  suspend  judgment  on  the  comparative  merits  of  Eng 
lish  and  American  racers.  But  I  doubt  if  this  will  ever  be  done 
to  a  sufficient  extent  to  allow  us  to  judge  of  the  merits  of  the 
horses  of  the  two  countries.  Nothing  is  more  capable  of  dis 
arrangement  from  slight  causes  than  the  race -horse,  and  it  is 
unlikely  that  his  exportation  over  three  thousand  miles  of 
stormy  sea  would  improve  him.  About  fifteen  years  ago,  a  Mr. 
Ten  Broeck,  an  American,  took  with  him  to  England  a  stable  of 
horses,  for  the  purpose  of  competing  for  the  trophies  of  the  Eng 
lish  turf.  These  thorough -breds  comprised  Prior,  Prioress, 
Lecompte,  and  Charleston — none  of  them,  however,  fit  represent 
atives  of  the  American  racer,  and  having  all  met  with  defeat  at 
home;  two,  Lecompte  and  Charleston,  being  but  little  better 
than  broken  down.  They  were  defeated  in  their  first  campaign, 
and  though  Prioress,  in  the  fall  of  1857,  won,  at  New  Market,  the 
Cesarovitch  stakes,  after  a  dead  heat  with  Queen  Bess  and  El. 
Ham,  she  was  so  favorably  weighted  by  the  handicapper,  com 
pared  with  the  other  two  dead  heaters,  that  her  subsequent  vic 
tory,  in  the  deciding  heat,  did  not  add  much  to  the  prestige  of 


THE   HORSE.  127 

the  American  turf.  Mr.  Ten  Broeck  then  imported  a  fresh  lot 
of  American  horses,  and  was  somewhat  more  successful.  With 
one  of  these,  Starke,  he  won  the  Goodwood  Cup,  and  with  Um 
pire  carried  off  several  of  the  two  year  old  racers.  Umpire  in- 
the  following  year  became  a  prominent  favorite  for  the  Epsom 
Derby,  but  in  this  great  race  was  beaten.  Beyond  an  unimport 
ant  attempt  hi  the  same  direction,  by  Robert  Harlan,  of  Ken 
tucky,  nothing  has  been  done  to  test  the  relative  speed  of  the 
racers  of  the  two  countries. 

When  Mr.  Ten  Broeck  first  carried  his  stable  of  race-horses  to 
England,  some  of  the  papers  spoke  of  the  affair  as  an  interna 
tional  one,  and  Mr.  Ten  Broeck  as  a  representative  American  • 
turfman.     The  truth  is,  he  had  never  been  a  leading  turfman  in 
this  country,  and  hardly  knew  anything  about  racing  matters. 
America  has  had  a  hundred  horses  who  could  have    beaten 
Starke  and  Prioress,  in  their  palmiest  hours.      The  six  or  seven 
horses  of  Ten  Broeck  were  contending  against  fourteen  or  fifteen 
hundred  picked  horses  on  their  own  ground,  so  that  any  one 
can  understand  that  his  experiment  was  no  fair  test  of  the  rela 
tive  speed  of  the  American  and  English   horse.      Mr.   Ten 
Broeck  was  one  of  the  cleverest  gamblers  in  the  country,  and 
had  for  years  beaten  the  most  skillful  at  their  own  peculiar 
games;  but  regarding  racing  matters  he  was  deficient.      By 
shrewd  management  he  got  control  of  the  Metarie  course  at 
New  Orleans,  and  shortly  afterwards  made  that  celebrated  match 
on  Lexington,  against  time,  for  $10,000.      It  has  long  been  the 
opinion  of  shrewd  turfmen  that  the  match  for  the  sum  stated 
was  no  match  at  all,  but  merely  a  hippodroming  affair,  for  the 
division  of  the  gate  money.    However  that  may  be,  Lexington 
covered  the  ground  inside  7.19|-,  the  time  specified,  and  gave  to 
Mr.  Ten  Broeck  notoriety  as  a  turfman,  which  was  what  he 
wanted.    Having  gained  his  prestige,  he  embarked  for  England 
with  his  stable  of  horses,  which,  in  that  country,  whatever  may 
have  been  his  antecedents,  provided  he  has  met  his  betting  en 
gagements,  give  to  a  man  a  social  standing  among  turfmen. 
Such  a  position  gave  him  a  favorable  opportunity  for  making 
his  matchless  skill  at  cards  useful  to  him — an  opportunity  which 
he  did  not  fail  to  improve.    He  also  made  his  stable  of  horses  a 
self-supporting  institution.      Aside  from  the  few  races  which  he 
won,  the  proceeds  of  which  would  not  have  supported  him  in 


128  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

his  extravagant  style  of  living,  six  months,  he  made  his  horses 
and  his  position  on  the  turf  both  profitable  to  him.  He  took 
care  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  such  Americans  visiting  Eng 
land  as  he  knew  would  be  willing  to  back  his  horses,  from  na 
tional  pride,  or  desired  to  back  other  horses  on  his  judgment. 
The  confidence  of  such  he  used  to  enrich  himself.  Ten  Broeck, 
with  his  American  "gulls,"  proud  of  his  acquaintance,  and  more 
than  ready  to  be  fleeced  by  him,  could  be  seen  together  at  Tat- 
tersall's,  at  the  sporting  clubs,  or  on  the  turf,  where  they  would 
meet  aristocratic  looking  persons,  with  whom  the  former  seemed 
on  terms  of  great  intimacy.  "  How  are  you  laying  on  your  horse, 
Mr.  Ten  Broeck  ?  "  Or  if  he  had  none  starting,  "  What's  your 
'  favorite,  Mr.  Ten  Broeck  ?  "  "  What  odds  are  you  taking  on 
him,  sir  ?  "  Ten  Broeck,  after  consulting  his  betting  book  for  a 
few  moments,  would  drawl  out,  in  his  habitually  dispassionate 
tone,  "  I'm  taking  three  to  one,  or  five  to  two  "  as  the  case  might 
be.  His  friends  would  close  by  booking  him  down  for  several 
hundred  pounds.  These  booking  bets  were  but  shams,  and  those 
making  them  with  Ten  Broeck,  his  confederates — men  moving, 
too,  in  the  higher  circles  of  society;  for  he  was  too  shrewd  to  put 
himself  in  the  power  of  common  adventurers  upon  the  turf, 
whose  equivocal  position  might  at  some  future  time  throw  dis 
credit  on  his  own  character.  His  bets,  booked  in  the  presence 
of  his  American  "  gulls,"  would  incite  them  to  take  stock  with 
him  in  betting  on  a  horse  which  himself  and  "  pals"  knew  per 
fectly  well  had  not  a  ghost  of  a  chance  to  win.  And  frequently 
such  bets  were  made,  when  it  was  well  known  to  Ten  Broeck 
and  his  confederates,  that  the  horse  would  not  start  in  the  race 
at  all.  By  such  cunning  frauds  as  this  just  related,  and  his 
superior  skill  at  cards,  he  managed  to  sustain  himself  in  England 
in  splendid  style  for  many  years,  and  to  return  from  that  coun 
try  with  an  immense  fortune. 

TROTTERS. 

Many  of  our  students  learned  in  "horseology"  contend  that 
the  racer  and  the  trotter  are  originally  the  same.  These  learned 
sages  proceed  to  say  that  no  trotter,  worthy  of  the  name,  whose 
pedigree  can  be  traced,  is  without  the  blood  of  the  Godolphin 
Arabian,  and  that  whenever  a  horse  is  bred,  tracing  back 


THE  HORSE.  129 

through  forty-nine  veins,  or  ramifications,  to  the  Godolphin,  his 
trotting  speed  will  nearly  equal  that  of  our  present  racers.  As 
this  abstruse  science  of  horse-blood  is  too  deep  for  me,  and  as  it 
does  not  belong  to  the  province  of  this  work,  I  shall  leave  the 
subject  to  those  versed  in  equinology,  and  let  them  argue  it  to 
their  hearts7  content.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  in  no  country  on  the 
face  of  the  globe  has  the  same  amount  of  care  been  given  to  the 
cultivation  of  the  trotter  as  in  the  United  States,  and  the  select 
ive  breeding  of  them  has  added  millions  to  the  wealth  of  the 
country.  The  trotters  here,  which  can  make  their  mile  in  three 
minutes,  are  numbered  by  thousands,  while  those  who  can  make 
their  mile  in  two  minutes  and  forty  seconds  are  numbered  by 
hundreds,  and  many  appear  every  summer  on  the  turf,  at  the 
different  courses,  who  can  make  their  mile  far  down  among  the 
twenties.  And  in  no  other  country  but  this  has  the  trotter  ever 
completed  twenty  miles  in  an  hour  in  harness.  Within  the  last 
twenty  years  several  attempts  have  been  made  to  introduce  trot 
ting  races  into  England,  but  without  success.  Its  failure  may 
be  attributed  to  the  want  of  encouragement  from  the  land-own 
ers  and  other  wealthy  classes,  who  are  prejudiced  against  any 
foreign  innovations  on  the  sports  of  the  turf,  or,  as  DTsraeli  has 
it,  "  the  noble  pastime  of  England's  aristocracy.''  There  are 
many  trotters  in  the  country.  Many  have  been  imported  from 
America,  and  no  little  attention  has  been  paid,  within  the  last 
decade,  to  the  breeding  and  training  of  them  ;  but  very  few  have 
been  distinguished  for  speed,  and  very  few  can  be  found  to  make 
their  mile  in  three  minutes.  There  are  no  prepared  courses  for 
trotting,  and  such  matches  as  have  taken  place  have  been  per 
formed  over  the  public  highway,  or  turf,  which  lessens  the 
speed  of  the  trotter  in  harness  about  ten  seconds  to  the  mile. 
These  trotting  matches,  of  which  several  have  been  made  during 
the  last  twenty  years,  were  well  attended,  especially  by  the  low 
er  and  middle  classes,  and  at  some  of  them  large  sums  of  money 
have  changed  hands.  I  think,  however,  the  day  is  still  far  dis 
tant  when  trotting  will  be  one  of  the  popular  sports  of  England. 
The  people  of  France  have  paid  more  attention  to  trotting  and 
trotting  horses  than  the  people  of  England.  Within  the  last  de 
cade  several  thorough-breds  have  been  imported  from  America 
for  the  purpose  of  breeding.  In  the  summer  of  1867  the  racing 
association  of  Rouen  gave  liberal  purses  to  trotters ;  this  was  the 


130  •WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

first  affair  of  the  kind  which  ever  took  place  in  Europe.  Many 
of  the  native  trotters,  both  of  France  and  England,  met  at  Rouen 
to  compete  for  the  trophies.  The  meeting  was  largely  attended, 
and  if  no  extraordinary  time  was  shown,  in  comparison  to  what 
is  commonly  done  on  American  courses,  the  races  gave  general 
satisfaction.  The  late  Franco-Prussian  war  has  done  much  to 
injure  the  advancement  of  trotting  and  racing  in  France ;  but 
the  deep  interest  taken  in  the  cultivation  of  the  trotter  by  the 
wealthy  landowners,  and  the  increasing  desire  of  the  wealthy 
classes  generally,  living  in  or  near  Paris,  to  provide  themselves 
with  fine  blooded  stock,  makes  it  presumable  that  in  the  way  of 
turf  sports  trotting  races  may  in  a  few  years  become  as  popular 
as  running  races  now  are. 

Considerable  attention  has  been  paid  by  the  Russian  govern 
ment  to  the  breeding  and  raising  of  trotting  horses.  The  hardy 
breeds  of  Northern  Russia,  when  intermixed  with  the  more  met 
tlesome  ones  of  the  south-eastern  part  of  the  empire,  make  re 
markably  good  trotters.  Russia  has  to-day  a  greater  number  and 
a  better  class  of  trotters  than  any  country  in  Europe.  The  favor 
ite  method  of  testing  their  speed  is  upon  the  ice,  and  harnessed 
to  light  sledges.  During  the  winter  season,  when  the  bosom  of 
the  Neva  becomes  a  way  of  glittering  ice,  these  trotting-matches 
axe  very  frequent  and  popular  with  the  people. 

VALUE     OF     TROTTERS. 

No  kind  of  stock-raising  has  ever  been,  in  any  part  of  the 
world,  so  lucrative  as  the  breeding  and  raising  of  trotters  in  the 
United  States,  and  year  by  year  it  is  becoming  more  so.  About 
twelve  years  ago,  Flora  Temple,  the  fastest  trotter  tbe  world  had 
ever  seen,  up  to  her  time,  sold  for  $8,000.  To-day  any  horse 
who  can  trot  in  2.30  will  bring  nearly  as  much,  while  horses  that 
can  trot  a  mile  in  2.24,  2.23,  2.22,  2.21,  will  bring  from 
$15,000  to  $35,000,  and  some,  in  the  possession  of  wealthy  men, 
cannot  be  bought  for  $60,000.  Such  men,  however,  have 
more  money  than  they  can  spend — a  pinching  evil  to  society. 
They  crave  notoriety,  which  the  possession  of  a  celebrated  fast 
horse  can  confer  on  them,  while  they,  in  return,  are  unable  to 
confer  any  notoriety  on  the  horse.  However,  to  make  a  horse 
worth  a  certain  price,  it  must  be  shown  that  he  can  bring  back 


THE  HORSE.  131 

to  his  owner  the  money  paid  for  him,  with  at  least  legal  interest, 
if  no  more.  Fancy  prices  set  upon  horses  go  for  nothing.  Mr. 
O'Kelly,  the  owner  of  English  Eclipse,  asked  for  him  £25,000 
and  a  life  annuity  of  £500  a  year.  Mr.  O'Kelly's  demanding 
his  price  and  receiving  it  (which  he  did  not)  are  two  very  differ 
ent  things.  Russia,  England,  and  Portugal  have  given,  to  pro 
cure  the  finest  and  largest  diamonds  in  the  world,  fabulous 
prices,  while  thousands  of  their  people  were  starving  for  bread. 
These  senseless  stones  are  useless  to  those  countries,  save  to 
adorn  the  state  of  royalty ;  yet  the  wealth  of  the  Rothschilds 
would  not  buy  one  of  them.  The  Vatican,  Pitti  Palace,  Dresden 
Gallery,  and  that  of  the  Louvre,  contain  many  works  of  art  which 
originally  brought  but  a  mere  pittance  to  the  toil-worn  artist 
under  whose  hands  they  grew,  yet  at  the  present  day  untold 
gold  could  not  purchase  them. 

It  is  the  being  wanted  for  the  stud  which  raises  the  price  of 
racers  and  trotters.  Whenever  a  horse  has  established  a  repu 
tation  by  his  frequent  success  on  the  turf,  he  or  she  is  sought 
after  for  the  stud.  Twenty  years  ago,  Lexington,  then  thought 
to  be  the  best  colt  in  the  United  States,  was  offered  for  $2,000, 
and  also  with  him  went  half  his  engagements  for  mile  and  two- 
mile  heat  races.  After  the  accomplishment  of  his  celebrated 
feat  against  time,  he  sold  for  $15,000;  that  then  being  the 
largest  price  ever  paid  for  a  horse  in  this  country.  His  offspring, 
Norfolk,  some  years  later  brought  the  same  price  in  green 
backs,  which  were  then  worth  about  sixty  cents  on  the  dollar. 
About  five  years  ago  Kentucky  sold  for  $15,000,  at  auction.  In 
1870,  Kingfisher  brought  $15,000,  after  having  won  his  two 
most  important  stakes  for  his  owner.  Enquirer  also  was  sold 
for  $15,000,  after  winning  all  his  important  stakes,  and  Long 
fellow,  just  before  the  close  of  the  racing  season,  a  year  ago 
(1871)  was  held  at  $20,000.  It  was  almost  unprecedented  suc 
cess  upon  the  turf,  which  raised  the  price  of  these  horses,  and 
those  who  bought  them  did  not  do  so  with  any  expectation  of 
getting  their  money  back  on  the  turf.  The  price  of  racers  has 
remained  almost  stationary  during  the  last  thirty  years,  while 
those  of  the  trotter  have  increased  trebly  during  the  last  decade; 
the  reason  of  this  being  the  trotter  is  much  more  profitable  to 
his  owner  than  the  racer.  Trotting  associations  hang  up  heav 
ier  purses  than  racing  ones ;  besides,  trotters  can  make  money  for 


132  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

their  owners,  without  their  risking  a  cent  outside  their  keeping 
and  transportation.  This  may  be  accomplished  by  running  for 
a  division  of  the  gate  money — a  practice  which,  to  the  disgrace  of 
trotting,  too  often  obtains  in  this  country.  During  a  summer 
campaign  a  first-class  trotter  can  gain  for  his  master  from  three 
thousand  to  five  thousand  dollars.  The  trotter,  unlike  the 
racer,  is  at  nearly  all  times  a  saleable  article,  and  in  considera 
tion  of  the  advantages  named,  is  always  a  more  profitable,  as  well 
as  a  safer  investment  than  the  racer.  The  owners  of  the  latter 
have  to  depend  upon  their  success  on  the  turf,  to  support  them 
selves  and  their  stables.  They  can  depend  on  no  division  of 
gate  money,  and  if  one  or  more  of  their  horses  do  not  succeed  in 
winning  a  few  purses  during  the  year,  their  expenses  eat  them 
up.  If  a  man  cannot  possess  a  first-class  racer,  he  is  very  un 
fortunate  to  possess  any.  None  but  those  able  to  support  a 
stable  for  his  own  amusement,  or  a  practical  turfman,  should 
have  anything  to  do  with  racers.  All  persons  who  have  any  re 
spect  for  their  money  should  place  it  in  some  safer  investment. 
I  have  known,  within  the  last  thirty  years,  many  prominent  turf 
men,  and  many  of  them  possessors  of  large  and  handsome 
stables ;  but  I  have  yet  to  see  the  first  one  among  them  who  ac 
quired  his  money  by  racing.  It  is  the  breeders  of  the  racers 
and  trotters  who  have  been  benefited  by  the  sports  of  the  turf, 
as  well  as  many  of  the  racing  establishments  throughout  the 
country. 

It  is  only  within  the  last  few  years  that  trotting  races  have 
been  established  on  a  respectable  footing  in  this  country.  For 
merly  the  trotting  ground  was  under  the  control  of  a  set  of 
sharpers,  who  used  it  as  a  means  of  fleecing  the  unwary.  The 
owners  and  trainers  of  horses  carried  on  their  swindling  so  suc 
cessfully  for  many  years  that  they  had  settled  down  into  the 
belief  that  frauds  were  a  legitimate  part  of  the  sport.  The  own 
ers  of  tracks  either  connived  at  these  or  participated  in  them. 
Many  proprietors  were  compelled  to  see  their  patrons  barefaced 
ly  robbed  in  silence,  or  have  their  courses  rot  on  their  hands  for 
want  of  patronage.  The  owners  of  several  trotters  would  col 
lude  together,  and  make  an  agreement  to  trot  over  a  certain 
course  on  a  day  named,  for  a  division  of  the  gate  money.  This, 
of  course,  with  the  sanction  of  the  proprietor  of  the  track.  The 
announcement  would  appear  in  the  public  prints,  and  flaming 


THE  HOKSB.  133 

placards,  posted  everywhere,  announced  that  the  race  would 
take  place  at  such  a  time,  for  a  purse  sometimes  of  several 
thousands  of  dollars ;  the  amount  being  stated  according  to  the 
locality.  A  ten  thousand  dollar  purse  might  be  suitable  for 
New  York,  Philadelphia,  or  Baltimore,  while  five  hundred  dol 
lars  would  be  large  enough  for  the  smaller  towns  of  the  West. 
The  meeting  might  call  to  the  grounds  from  one  thousand  to  ten 
thousand  or  more  spectators.  At  some  of  the  trotting  races  hi 
the  vicinity  of  New  York,  as  many  as  thirty  thousand  specta 
tors  have  been  present  repeatedly.  The  owners  of  the  horses, 
their  trainers,  and  confederates  on  the  outside,  had  a  perfect  un 
derstanding  with  each  other.  Should  the  public  make  of  any 
horse  a  favorite,  and  bet  heavily  upon  him,  their  favorite  would 
be  very  like  to  come  out  second  best  in  the  race,  and  their 
money  would  find  its  way  into  the  pockets  of  the  owners  of  the 
horses,  their  trainers,  and  confederates.  These  rascally  pro 
ceedings  were  not  confined  to  any  particular  locality,  but  were 
more  or  less  practiced  all  over  the  country,  and  are  so  still  in 
many  of  the  smaller  places  in  the  South  and  Southwest.  These 
things  could  not  be  effectually  concealed,  and  the  cries  of  the 
victims  of  these  frauds  have  rung  out  in  tones  not  to  be  mis 
taken,  all  over  the  land,  for  many  years,  without  any  particular 
remedy  being  applied  to  put  a  stop  to  them.  An  act  passed  by 
the  legislature  would  have  put  an  end  to  them,  within  the  ju 
risdiction  of  the  State  passing  such  act.  The  very  worst  of  the 
scoundrels  would  have  hesitated  before  perpetrating  his  frauds, 
if  the  doors  of  the  state  prison  were  yawning  to  receive  him 
the  moment  he  was  detected.  But  the  generality  of  law 
makers  with  which  we  have  been  blessed,  in  this  free  and  en 
lightened  country,  would  view  the  stealing  of  a  loaf  of  bread  by 
a  starving  man  as  a  crime  worthy  the  penitentiary,  but  would 
consider  the  robbing  a  man  on  a  race-track,  by  foul  driving  or 
other  fraudulent  shifts  known  to  some  of  the  trotting  faternity, 
only  a  shrewd  piece  of  financiering.  But  happily,  whore  trotting 
is  conducted  on  a  large  scale,  as  around  New  York,  Buffalo, 
Kalamazoo,  Providence,  etc.,  etc.,  these  track-thieves  have  no 
longer  an  opportunity  to  ply  their  vocation.  Trotting  associa 
tions  composed  of  respectable  citizens  have  been  organized  in 
most  of  the  States,  new  rules  and  regulations  have  been  framed, 
and  are  at  the  present  tune  rigidly  enforced. 


134  'WAXDERLJfGS  OF  A  VAGABOND, 

POOL-SELLING. 

When  the  stranger  first  makes  his  appearance  in  the  betting- 
ring  of  the  English  race-course,  he  may  well  imagine  himself 
among  a  crowd  of  bedlamites.  A  thousand  throats  are  stretched 
to  their  utmost,  crying  out  their  slang  betting  phrases  of  "mon- 
kies,"  "ponies,"  "tenners,"  "fivers,"  "one  to  three,"  "four  to 
six,"  etc.,  while  the  noise  and  confusion,  which  is  over  and  sur 
rounds  all,  is  nothing  less  than  pandemonium  itself.  I  remem 
ber  when,  in  this  country,  men  in  the  higher  walks  of  life,  many 
occupying  high  official  positions,  were  not  ashamed  to  be  seen 
on  the  race-track,  with  money  in  their  hands,  calling  out  like 
auctioneers  the  bets  they  wished  to  make  on  their  favorites. 
Such  things  were  fashionable  in  this  country  till  within  the  last 
fifteen  years.  "I'll  bet  five  hundred  dollars  with  any  gentleman 
that  Truxton  is  the  winner,"  sung  out  General  Jackson,  on  the 
quarter -stretch  of  the  Nashville  course,  the  said  Truxton  being 
his  own  horse,  about  to  start  in  the  race. 

"I'm  your  man,  Gineral,"  responded  Col.  Jimmy  Smith,  a 
small  stock  short  card  player,  who  would  not  bet  five  hundred 
dollars  on  anything  except  to  have  the  honor  of  saying  he  made 
such  a  wager  with  General  Jackson. 

"  I'll  bet  five  hundred  dollars  with  any  gentleman  that  Trux 
ton  is  the  winner,"  reiterated  the  General,  without  noticing  Col. 
Jimmy's  offer  of  acceptance. 

"  I'll  take  it,"  cried  Smith,  running  up  to  the  hero  of  New 
Orleans. 

The  General  paused  in  his  promenade,  and  fixed  his  eyes  full- 
cocked  upon  Col.  Jimmy,  then  replied,  in  a  freezing  tone,  quite 
loud  enough  for  the  bystanders  to  hear,  "You  don't  understand 
me,  sir;  I  said  I'd  bet  any  gentleman  five  hundred  dollars  that 
Truxton  will  win  the  race,"  and  turning  away,  he  continued  at 
the  same  time  his  walk,  and  his  "  I'll  bet  any  gentleman  five 
hundred  dollars  that  Truxton  is  the  winner." 

The  custom  of  crying  out  bets  on  the  race -course  has  passed 
away,  and  is  replaced  by  the  more  refined  and  quiet  method  of 
pool-selljng.  This  system  was  inaugurated  some  fifteen  or  sixteen 
years  ago,  and  is  now  in  vogue  on  every  race-track  of  any  pre 
tensions  in  the  country.  Pool-selling  answers  well  enough  when 
fairly  conducted ;  but  it  has  its  abuses,  which  should  be  remedied. 


1HE  HORSE.  135 

In  the  first  place,  racing  associations  charge  three  per  cent,  on 
what  money  is  won,  and  at  many  of  the  smaller  of  the  racing  and 
trotting  meetings,  three  per  cent,  of  the  whole  amount  of  the  pool 
is  charged,  that  is,  upon  the  winnings  and  the  investments.  Now 
this  is  a  fraud  upon  the  public.  Racing  associations  make  enough 
from  their  gate-money,  and  should  have  pool-selling  done  gra 
tuitously  on  their  tracks,  for  the  benefit  of  their  patrons.  Pools 
sold  should  be  made  play  or  pay,  otherwise  wrong  may  be  done 
to  innocent  persons,  as  the  following  circumstance,  which  hap 
pened  a  few  years  ago  in  Saratoga,  will  show.  The  night  before 
the  race  Cottrill  sold  as  first  choice  in  the  pools,  and  several 
thousand  dollars  were  invested  on  him.  Before  morning  Nara- 
gansett,  in  a  trial  speed,  ran  a  mile  in  1.48.  This  becoming  known 
to  a  few  initiated,  who  had  large  stakes  on  Cottrill,  the  owner 
of  that  horse  announced  that  large  spots  or  welts  had  broken  out 
on  his  horse  during  the  night,  and  appealing  to  the  judges,  they 
allowed  the  horse  to  be  withdrawn,  so  that  his  backers  recovered 
their  money.  Had  not  Naragansett  run  that  fast  trial  speed,  the 
chances  are  that  Cottrill  would  have  started.  If  such  a  fraud 
could  be  perpetrated  on  one  of  the  first  class  race-courses,  and 
on  one  of  the  most  fairly  managed,  how  easily  could  it  be  done, 
and  no  doubt  often  is,  on  the  smaller  and  more  obscure  courses  in 
the  country.  Such  sharp  practice  would  tell  for  nothing,  if  pool- 
selling  were*  made  to  play  or  pay.  The  pool -seller  has  also  his 
favorites,  and  it  is  in  his  power  to  benefit  them  greatly,  though  by 
so  doing  he  does  a  corresponding  injustice  to  the  betting  public. 
At  a  nod  from  a  favorite,  a  pool  is  suddenly  knocked  down  to  him, 
or  another  sign  from  the  same  source  causes  the  auctioneer  to 
dwell  loud  and  long.  The  system  of  pool-selling  gives  owners 
an  opportunity  to  bet  against  their  own  horses,  which  many  of 
them  do  if  they  think  they  will  not  win.  Before  the  system  of 
pool-selling  obtained,  the  turfman  betting  against  his  own  entry 
would  be  dishonored,  and  such  things  were  not  tolerated  on  the 
turf;  but  turfmen  of  the  present  day  practice  it  in  the  pools,  and 
no  one  considers  it  strange.  The  turfmen  of  old  never  laid  against 
their  own  stables,  and  though  many  of  the  modern  ones  do,  it  is 
a  practice  which  ought  not  to  be  tolerated.  It  cannot  be  denied 
that  pool-selling  has  done  away  with  many  evils  of  the  turf,  and 
notably  the  noise  and  confusion  which  prevailed  formerly  on  a 
race-course,  in  the  making  of  bets,  hunting  up  the  holders  of 


136  WANDERINGS  OF  A  YAGABONDi 

stakes,  and  the  quarrels  and  fights  which  ensued  about  the 
naming  of  bets.  Pool-selling  is  also  a  great  advantage  to  those 
who  lay  against  the  favorite,  and  who  always  take  the  odds.  In 
pool-selling,  sometimes  as  much  as  forty  to  one  are  laid  against 
certain  horses,  while  rating  that  way  in  the  pool  it  would  be 
impossible  to  get  any  one  on  the  outside  to  lay  any  such  odds. 
There  are  no  persons  in  this  country  who  would  take  such  odds 
as  forty  to  one,  or  even  twenty  to  one,  and  on  a  horse  that  would 
sell  as  low  as  forty  to  one  in  a  pool,  odds  of  ten  to  one  could  not 
be  obtained  in  the  ring. 

GAMBLERS    ON    THE     TURF. 

No  disinterested  class  of  men  in  this  country  have  shown  the 
same  liberality  towards  the  turf  as  gamblers.  Whenever  funds 
have  been  scarce,  or  have  been  wanted  for  the  opening  of  a  new 
course,  or  to  give  purses  for  a  race  meeting,  they  have  invariably 
contributed  liberally  whenever  called  upon.  They  have  always 
shown  the  same  generous  spirit  in  assisting  needy  turfmen,  and 
have  never  been  found  wanting  in  upholding  the  interest  of  the 
turf.  Such  at  least  has  been  their  record  for  the  last  half  century, 
notwithstanding  the  efforts  made  at  various  times,  by  many  of 
the  newspapers  of  the  country,  to  cause  them  to  be  expelled  from 
the  race-courses  altogether.  To  be  the  fountain -head*of  authority 
has  been  the  itch  of  wealth,  and  to  it  the  majority  of  our  cultur 
ed  classes  have  pandered.  Previous  to  the  civil  war,  a  gambler 
was  not  allowed  entrance  to  the  grand  stand  on  the  race-course 
at  Charleston,  S.  C,  but  a  negro  servant  was.  At  the  same  time 
public  women  were  not  allowed  on  the  Metarie  course  in  New 
Orleans,  unless  in  a  carriage,  and  then  were  obliged  to  drive  to 
the  center  of  the  course,  and  be  confined  to  their  carriages  during 
the  race.  Such  invidious  distinctions  have  disappeared  from  our 
race-courses,  as  'tis  proper  they  should  do  in  a  free  country  like 
ours.  Only  the  snobocracy  of  which  the  Jerome  Park  racing 
association  is  composed  tried  to  pattern  after  their  exclusive 
brethren  of  New  Orleans  and  Charleston ;  but  the  arrogant  pre 
sumption  caused  such  a  howl  of  indignation  from  the  public  to 
resound  about  their  ears,  as  compelled  them  to  abandon  their 
purpose.  Racing  associations  that  want  to  make  exclusiveness 
one  of  their  regulations,  should  be  taught  that  it  is  not  necessary 


'THE  HORSE.  137 

for  a  man  to  have  a  voucher,  or  a  woman  a  marriage  certificate 
in  her  pocket,  in  order  to  gain  admission  to  the  grand  stand  of 
a  race-track. 

Many  gamblers  have  owned  and  run  race -horses  to  their  mis 
fortune,  and  many  have  owned  tracks ;  but,  after  thirty  years'  ex 
perience,  I  have  never  known,  and  I  have  yet  to  learn,  of  a 
gambler  being  engaged  in  a  fraudulent  race  transaction.  I  have 
heard,  however,  of  several,  and  know  of  my  own  knowledge  of  two 
instances,  where  jobs  were  successfully  put  up  by  turfmen,  to  rob 
gamblers.  No  class  of  persons  behave  themselves  better  than 
gamblers  on  the  race-course,  or  interfere  less  with  its  good  order 
and  management ;  yet,  notwithstanding  this  honorable  record  in 
their  favor,  I  agree  with  those  punctilious  gentlemen  of  the  press, 
and  others,  who  imagine  all  gamblers  thieves,  and  their  appear 
ance  on  a  race-course,  otherwise  than  spectators,  fraught  with 
some  rascality  towards  the  betting  public — I  agree  with  these 
honorable  gentlemen  in  so  far  that  I  think  gamblers  should  keep 
away  from  race  meetings  altogether.  It  would  be  a  saving  to  the 
fraternity,  of  more  than  $100,000  annually.  With  regard  to 
numbers,  their  presence  would  not  be  missed,  except  at  the  pool 
stands,  and  at  the  pool-selling  rooms  in  the  city  during  a  race 
week,  in  consequence  of  which  the  betting,  which  gives  such  a 
spicy  interest  to  the  race,  would  greatly  decrease,  and  perhaps 
the  loss  would  add  to  the  moral  improvement  of  the  spectators. 
No  gambler  that  I  know  of  has  ever  yet  done  any  good  for  him 
self  on  the  turf. 

Formerly  it  was  amusing  to  see  a  young,  just-fledged  sport, 
with  a  badge  fluttering  from  the  breast  of  his  coat,  while  strut 
ting  up  and  down  the  quarter-stretch,  and  calling  out  the  name 
of  his  favorite,  and  laying  his  money  upon  him.  He  thought  the 
position  stylish,  and  imagined  himself  the  observed  of  all  observ 
ers.  His  knowledge  of  horse-flesh  was  about  as  profound  as  that 
of  a  citizen  of  Venice,  and  he  was  backing  his  favorite  because 
some  jockey  or  stable-boy  had  given  him  a  "  point "  that  he  was 
a  "  rattler,"  or  perhaps  he  himself  had  seen  him  win  a  race  the 
previous  spring  or  fall.  But  he  never  once  gave  a  thought  to  his 
present  condition,  what  weight  he  was  to  carry,  or  the  abilities 
of  his  competitors.  Such  considerations  did  not  for  a  moment 
perplex  his  brain.  To  lay  his  money  was  all  he  wanted,  and 
sooner  than  fail  in  that  object  he  would  give  long  odds.  This  is  a 


138  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

fair  sample  of  the  reckless  manner  in  which  gamblers  squander 
their  money  on  the  turf.  Since  pool-selling  has  become  the  cus 
tom,  the  gamblers  flock  to  the  pool-rooms  in  the  city,  during  a 
race  meeting,  or  to  the  pool-stands  on  a  race-course.  They 
pitch  upon  their  favorites  without  any  knowledge  of  their  capa 
bilities,  except  such  as  they  learn  from  the  turfmen,  and  will 
often  run  one  up  in  the  pool,  in  their  eagerness  to  get  him,  until 
he  is  made  a  favorite  largely  over  the  field ;  often,  too,  when  four 
or  more  horses  start  in  the  race.  Such  a  thing  as  a  horse  be 
coming  a  favorite  over  the  field,  when  four  or  more  horses  start, 
is  in  England  a  thing  almost  unknown.  In  the  palmy  days  of 
Gladiateur,  when  practical  turfmen  were  convinced  that  Eng 
land  had  no  horse  to  equal  him  in  speed,  the  odds  were  never 
more  than  two  to  one  in  his  favor  when  as  many  as  five  horses 
contended  for  the  prize.  English  book-makers  have  been 
generally  successful  on  the  turf,  simply  because  they  have  in 
variably  backed  the  field.  "  It  is  only  fools,"  say  they,  and  their 
opinions  should  be  of  some  value,  "  that  will  pick  a  horse  in  a 
race."  There  are  but  few  professional  book-makers  that  have 
not  made  themselves  an  independent  fortune  in  the  business. 
There  are  no  intelligent  turfmen  in  this  country,  of  thirty  years' 
standing,  who  will  not  acknowledge  that  they  might  now  be 
wealthy  had  they  laid  their  money  on  the  field  instead  of  the 
favorites. 

It  would  seem  that  their  constant  losses  on  the  turf  for  many 
years  would  have  disgusted  gamblers  with  the  sport  of  racing 
,  altogether.  Such,  however,  is  no^pie  case ;  at  any  rate  with  a 
large  majority.  To-day  they  are  ready  to  re-commit  the  follies 
of  yesterday,  and,  as  few  of  them  ever  take  the  trouble  to  think 
on  the  subject,  I  think  it  very  unlikely  they  will  improve.  I 
shall  here  mention  another  great  drain  on  the  pockets  of  gamb 
lers,  or  at  least  some  of  the  more  successful  of  them.  As  soon  as 
they  have  accumulated  $40,000  or  $50,000,  their  ambition  is  to 
own  a  stable  of  racers  or  trotters.  They  expect  to  reap  from  this 
notoriety  as  well  as  gain.  Such  gamblers  have  a  very  imperfect 
knowledge  of  horses,  at  best ;  consequently  are  obliged  to  call  to 
their  aid  some  trainer  of  experience,  and  these  gentry  never 
let  a  fat  pigeon  escape  their  fingers  until  they  have  plucked  him 
clean.  They  use  the  gambler  that  falls  into  their  clutches 
much  the  same  as  a  rascally  lawyer  uses  his  rich  client.  When 


THE  HORSE.  139 

horses  are  bought,  it  is  by  recommendation  of  the  trainer,  who 
hits  generally  on  such  as  are  broken  down,  and  whose  owners  are 
glad  to  get  rid  of  them  at  any  price.  Between  such  persons 
and  the  trainer  a  perfect  understanding  exists,  and  the  horses 
are  sold  for  four  or  five  times,  and  some  times  even  ten  times  as 
much  as  they  would  fetch  at  an  ordinary  sale ;  and  the  trainer 
pockets  the  lion's  share  of  the  spoils,  out  of  which  he  fleeces  his 
master,  with  as  little  compunctions  of  conscience  as  if  he  were 
really  giving  him  his  best  judgment  and  advice.  If  the  horses 
are  racers  they  never  win  a  stake  for  their  owner,  and  the  expens 
es  of  his  stable,  cost  of  entries  and  transportation,  his  losses  by 
backing  them,  to  say  nothing  of  what  he  is  chiseled  out  of  by 
his  enterprising  trainer,  finally  drains  him  of  his  last  dollar,  and 
when  he  wants  to  turn  his  horses  into  money,  no  one  will  buy 
them  on  any  terms  whatever,  and  they  are  left  worthless,  as  they 
are,  on  his  hands.  Such  has  been,  in  nine  cases  out  of  every  ten, 
the  fate  of  gamblers  whose  evil  genius — ambition — has  led  them 
on  to  the  turf.  Those  who  have  fallen  into  the  hands  of  trotting 
men  have  not  fared  one  whit  better ;  in  fact,  if  possible,  they  have 
fared  worse ;  their  downfall  has  certainly  been  more  speedy.  If 
a  shrewd  trotting  trickster  can  flatter,  persuade,  or  cajole  him 
into  the  purchase  of  a  fast  trotting  horse,  he  is  lost.  No  artifice 
is  left  untried  to  convince  him  his  newly-acquired  purchase  has 
extraordinary  speed.  When  this  is  accomplished  he  is  easily  in 
duced  to  match  him  against  a  horse  which  his  steerers  have 
already  agreed  upon  for  him,  and  which  they  know  can  outspeed 
his  with  the  greatest  ease.  dfcndreds  of  gamblers  have,  from 
time  to  time,  been  inveigled  am  ruined  in  this  manner  by  trot 
ting  men.  The  latter  know  right  well  that  no  class  of  men  will  bet 
their  money  so  recklessly  on  a  mere  fancy  as  gamblers ;  conse 
quently  they  are  ever  on  the  alert  to  fleece  them.  Gamblers 
have  been  too  often  the  victims  of  their  wily  tongues ;  and  if 
they  continue  to  do  so  they  will  surely  fall  victims  to  their  insid 
ious  artifices. 


140  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

•   •WASHINGTON  CITY. 

The  races  were  over  in  Richmond,  and  the  crowds  drawn 
thither  by  them  from  the  surrounding  country  had  all  dispersed. 
Even  the  negro-trader,  with  his  droves  of  manacled  slaves,  had 
departed  for  the  South,  and  the  gay  and  festive  city,  where 
money  was  so  plentiful  during  the  summer  and  fall,  was  now 
but  a  dull  and  unprofitable  place  for  the  gambler.  The  Major 
and  myself,  during  the  three  months  of  our  stay,  had  derived  a 
net  profit  of  about  nine*  thousand  dollars  from  our  share  of  the 
gambling-house,  which,  finding  there  was  no  prospect  of  making 
any  more  at.  present,  we  disposed  of,  to  Messrs.  Lane  &  Wilson. 
We  had  determined  to  establish  ourselves  in  Washington  for  the 
winter,  anff  try  our  fortune  among  its  law-makers,  office -holders, 
political  adventurers,  lobbyists,  and  such-like  cattle,  who  flock 
there  as  naturally,  during  a  session  of  Congress,  as  crows  to  a 
carwon. 

We  found  on  Pennsylvania  Avenue  a  desirable  suite  of  rooms, 
which  we  fitted  up  tastefully,  if  not  extravagantly.  In  those 
days,  gambling-houses  were  not  fitted  up  in  such  sumptuous 
style  as  has  come  to  be  the  custom  in  these  days ;  in  fact,  noth 
ing  like  it.  -  We  found  the  place  dull  enough,  as  is  always  the 
case  hi  Washington  until  afterthe  holidays  are  over.  Such 
strangers  as  were  in  the  tow^fcsonsisted  of  persons  having 
claims  against  the  government,  wno  were  waiting,  with  what  pa 
tience  they  might,  for  that  honorable  institution  to  open  the 
ponderous  iron  jaws  of  the  treasury,  and  grant  them  relief.  Be 
sides  these,  the  usual  crowd  of  hungry  office-seekers  bided  their 
time  without  a  cent  in  their  pockets.  We  found  in  the  place 
many  gamblers,  most  of  them  residents,  but  still  many  strangers 
had  already  opened  their  winter  campaign  there.  Five  faro- 
banks  besides  our  ow»  were  already  in  full  operation,  one  of 
them  being  of  the  e^Rusive  and  aristocratic  order,  where  none 
were  admitted  but  high  government  officials,  senators,  members 
of  Congress,  wealthy  lobbyists,  contractors,  and  their  invited 
guests.  The  patrons  of  this  bank  were  entertained  gratuitous 
ly  with  the  daintiest  viands,  the  choicest  wines,  liquors,  and 


WASHINGTON  CITT.  141 

cigars.  It  was  owned  and"  conducted  by  persons  calling  them 
selves  gamblers,  from  Baltimore,  who  lived  hi  extravagant  style, 
separated  themselves  from  the 'others  of  their  class,  and  would 
no  more  think  of  speaking  to  a  common  gambler  on  the  street 
than  a  savagely  virtuous  matron  would  be  seen  in  conversation 
with  one  of  the  frail  sisterhood.  None  of  the  other  gamblers 
were  invited  to  their  rooms ;  consequently  the  means  by  which 
such  an  extravagant  establishment  was  kept  up  was  known  only 
to  its  owners.  The  other  faro- rooms  in  the  city  were  conduct 
ed  on  pretty  much  the  same  basis  as  our  own ;  that  is,  we  made 
no  distinction  between  our  patrons,  treated  them  all  with  civility, 
furnished  them  with  liquors  gratuitously,  and  played  faro  exclu 
sively.  We  however  gave  to  our  patrons  a  limit  of  $25,  and 
$100.  But  one  other  room  in  the  city  (knowing,  of  course,  noth 
ing  about  what  the  exclusive  bank  gave),  gave  the  same  limit. 

This  place  was  owned  by  a  man  of  the  name  of  Samuel  Shirley, 
who  had  for  many  years  conducted  a  gambling-house  in  Wash 
ington,  and  had  drawn  upon  himself  the  ill-will  of  the  other 
gamblers  of  the  place,  on  account  of  his  haughty  disposition  and 
supercilious  manners. 

He  was  a  very  timid  gambler,  and  the  previous  winter  had 
placed  so  small  a  limit  on  his  game  as  to  virtually  drive  away 
those  gamblers  and  others  who  desired  to  play  heavily.  By  this 
means  he  secured  the  play  of  treasury  clerks,  and  some  of  those 
from  others  of  the  departments,  and  from  these  he  managed  to 
makej/respectable  living. 

A*  month  or  so  before  oufcbming  to  Washington,  there  ar- 
rive'd  in  the  place  two  gambles  from  Georgia,  who  bought  an 
interest  in  his  house,  and  opened  a  faro-bank,  to  which  they  in 
vited  .all  the  gamblers  in  the  vicinity,  offering  them,  if  they 
would  come  there  to  play,  a  larger  limit  than  any  other  house 
that  could  be  found  in  the  city.  The  principal  moneyed  faro-play 
ers  accepted  the  invitation,  to  their  misfortune,  as  the  bank  dealt 
with  more  than  usual  success.  The  new  comers  were  a  Mr. 
0%orge  Simpson,  a  man  of  about  fifty,  and  his  partner,  Mr.  John 
Cotton,  about  twenty-one  years  of  age.^ffhese  persons  were 
strangers  to  the  gambling  fraternity  of  Washington,  no  one  in 
the  city  knowing  anything  either  of  them  or  their  histories. 
According  to  the  elder,  Mr.  Simpson,  he  had  been  a  negro- 
trader  and  a  horse-tradeuy  had  roamed  for  several  years  over 


142  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

the  South  and  Southwest  with  a  stable  of  quarter-horses,  and 
•while  in  this  business  amused  himself,  as  he  expressed  it,  by 
"  dealing  a  game  of  faro  occasionally,  when  I  came  across  a  good- 
natured  set  of  boys  with  plenty  of  cash."  Mr.  Simpson  was  a 
large,  heavy-set  man,  with  sandy  hair  and  whiskers,  while  his 
eyebrows  and  lashes  were  nearly  white.  I  said  he  was  fifty 
years  of  age,  but  he  looked  much  younger.  His  florid  face  was 
the  picture  of  health,  and  his  blue  eyes  yet  sparkled  with  the 
fire  of  youth.  His  favorite  attire  consisted  of  a  green  "shad- 
bellied"  coat,  with  long  flaps  hanging  over  its  many  pockets,  and 
ornamented  with  rows  of  bright  brass  buttons  embossed  with 
rampant  steeds  in  the  last  stage  of  prancing.  His  vest,  of  green 
velvet,  was  adorned  with  round  gold-varnished  buttons,  on  each 
of  which  a  dog's  head  shone  conspicuous,  and  which  also  pos 
sessed  wide  pockets  covered  by  deep  flaps.  His  nether  limbs 
were  encased  in  a  pair  of  drab  inexpressibles,  the  bottoms  of 
which  had  modestly  retired  from  public  view,  into  the  legs  of  a 
pair  of  red-top  hunting-boots.  A  broad-brimmed  hat  covered 
his  head,  and  in  the  voluminous  ruffle  which  sprang  from  his 
shirt  bosom,  sparkled  a  large  and  valuable  diamond.  He  wore 
a  high  shirt  collar,  and  around  his  neck,  below  it,  the  ample 
folds  of  a  large  red  silk  handkerchief.  A  heavy  embossed  chain, 
from  which  dangled  a  few  seals  and  a  miniature  jockey's  cap, 
saddle,  spurs,  horse-shoes,  whip,  etc.,  hung  from  his  watch-fob. 
Mr.  Simpson  was  a  sociable  personage,  liberal  with  his  money  in 
a  bar-room,  had  an  exalted  opinion  of  himself,  and,  being  very 
loquacious,  seemed  desirous  of  convincing  every  one  he  met,  of 
the  immense  superiority  of  Mr.  ^hn  Simpson.  Mr.  John  Cot 
ton,  his  partner,  had  a  fat,  stupid-looking  face,  the  cheeks  and 
upper  lip  being  covered  with  a  small  crop  of  peach-down ;  but 
his  big  wall  eyes  failed  to  give  forth  one  spark  of  intelligence  as 
he  talked  with  you  or  pursued  his  business.  His  hair  was  tow- 
colored,  as  were  also  his  eyebrows,  the  hairs  of  which  were  few 
and  far  between.  Some  fashionable  tailor  of  the  period  had  ex 
hausted  his  art  in  order  to  render  him  resplendent  in  broadcloth 
and  fine  linen,  and,  'Solomon,  in  all  his  glory,"  certainly  was  not 
arrayed  like  him.  In  his  ruffled  shirt-bosom  also  blazed  a 
diamond,  while  a  large  gold  chain  hung  loosely  from  his  neck  to 
his  fob,  where  it  was  attached  to  a  small  gold  watch.  Shirley 
and  Cotton  were  both  unsocial,  and  of  a  taciturn  disposition;  but 


WASHINGTON  CITY.  143 

whatever  was  lost  to  the  firm  from  their  reserve,  was  more  than 
overbalanced  by  the  loquacious  and  braggart  Simpson. 

The  firm  of  Shirley,  Simpson  &  Cotton,  received  some  rough 
handling  from  the  tongues  of  the  sports  who  frequented  our 
rooms,  many  of  whom  had  lost  their  all  (against  the  concern), 
consequently  retained  no  very  good  feeling  toward  any  of  its 
members. 

"I  wonder  where  Shirley  ever  picked  up  that  horse-thief, 
Simpson  ?"  inquired  a  toothless  old  sport  named  Crane,  an  old 
resident  of  Washington,  and  a  rather  heavy  loser  (against  the  firm 
mentioned).  The  question  was  asked  one  evening  in  our  rooms 
when  no  play  was  going  forward,  but  several  gamblers  present, 
some  of  them  citizens  of  the  place,  but  the  majority  of  them 
strangers.  The  subject  had  been  brought  up  by  one  of  the  party 
relating  how  many  bets  he  had  lost  there  consecutively,  on 
several  occasions,  while  playing  against  Cotton's  dealing. 

"  Picked  up  hell ! "  said  a  fellow  in  reply  to  Crane's  question. 
"He  don't  know  enough  to  pick  up  anything,  unless  it's  a 
pocket-book  that  isn't  his'n,  the  consumptive  snipe." 

"Maybe  Simpson  picked  up  Shirley,  who  knows?"  chimed  in 
another  gentleman. 

"  Shouldn't  be  surprised ;  that  feller  Simpson  knows  his  p's  and 
q's;  he  ain't  no  fool,"  said  the  man  who  had  replied  so  con 
temptuously  to  Crane's  question  in  the  first  place. 

"  I'll  bet  he's  one  of  Murrill's  gang !"  cried  Crane. 

"Did  you  ever  notice  how  skeered  that  rabbit-faced  feller, 
Cotton,  is  o'  him  ?  Them  moon  eyes  o'  his'n  are  alms  looking 
arter  Simpson  when  he's  dea^ig,  as  if  he  was  doin'  suthin'  he'd 
no  business  to,  and  was  afraid  of  catching  hell  for  it.  Why,  he'd 
overlook  all  the  bets  he'd  win,  if  Shirley  warn't  a  lookin'  out  fur 
him,"  said  another  of  those  present. 

"  He  deals  so  confounded  lucky,  that  he  can  afford  to  over 
look  half  he  wins  and  then  break  his  party,"  said  a  gentleman 
in  reply. 

"He  looks  to  me  as  if  he  was  dug  out  of  old  Simpson  with  a 
wow-bar ;  I  wonder  if  he  isn't  his  son,  Crane  ?  "  asked  a  Wash- 
ingtonian  present,  by  the  name  of  Jones. 

"No,  he  aint,"  snarled  Crane;  "he  don't  look  no  more  like 
Simpson  than  a  bob-tailed  cur  looks  like  a  brindle  ox." 
V'Look  a  here, -boys!    There's  something  damn  strange  any- 


144  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

how,  about  that  stable  of  Shirely's,"  broke  in  for  the  first  time  an 
old  resident  named  Jackson.  "Now  I've  known  that  feller 
for  more  than  ten  years,  and  he's  allers  been  afeared  of  his 
shadder,  and  wouldn't  mix  in  with  gamblers,  no  how.  Well,  this 
fall  he  comes  and  tells  me  he's  'opened  for  horse,  mar',  or 
gelding,'  and  tells  'em  all  to  come  and  play  agiiist  'em;  well, 
you've  all  went  agin  'em,  and  whar's  your  money  ?  I've  dropped 
agin  them  fellers  eight  hundred,  and  damn  me  if  I  hadn't  rather 
chucked  it  into  the  river  than  them  thieves  should  have  it. 
That's  my  sentiments  about  the  matter,  publicly  expressed." 

"Don't  cry  for  your  money,  Jacksey,  arter  you've  lost  it," 
sang  out  the  consoling  CraTie. 

"I  cries  as  little  fur  my  money  as  any  of  ye,"  retorted  the 
indignant  Mr.  Jackson,  "but  when  I  does  lose,  I  like  to  doit 
where  I'm  treated  like  a  gentleman.  What  fur  do  they  allus 
make  that  white-livered  boy  deal  ?  that's  what  I  want  to  know  ? 
I  had  to  blaggard  Shirley  an  hour  the  other  night,  to  get  him  to 
make  a  deal  fur  me — 'twas  arter  I  lost  five  hundred,  too,  agin 
the  boy — and  when  I  did  get  him  to  make  a  deal  fur  me,  only 
just  one,  why,  I  beat  'em  out  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  in  less  than 
no  tune,  and  out  'o  that  there  cheer  he  jumps,  like  a  snake  'd  bit 
him.  Now  what  kind  of  doin'  is  that  'ere,  hey?"  asked  Mr. 
Jackson,  appealing  to  his  hearers.  "  Now,  gentlemen,"  he  con 
tinued,  with  a  solemn  shake  of  the  head,  "  I  b'leeve  as  how  them 
fellers  are  a  cheating  of  us ! " 

"  How  ridiculous  for  an  old  experienced  gambler  like  you  to 
talk  in  that  manner ! "  said  one  of^ys  friends. 
'  "It  ain't  ridiculus,  no  such  thing,  and  I  just  b'leeve  it'strue, 
any  how,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Jackson,  emphatically. 

"Well,"  returned  his  friend,  "I'd  like  to  find  one  of 'those 
cheating  dealers ;  I'd  like  to  know  how  the  trick  is  done." 

"Would  you,  tho"?"  asked  Jackson,  with  a  sneer,  "you've 
furgot,  I  reckon,  when  Pringle  imported  one  'o  them  'ere  fellers  to 
Kichmond,  an'  how  he  played  strippers  on  you,  'mongst  the  rest 
on 'em?"  » 

"No,  I  haven't," replied  his  friend,  "nor  have  I  forgotten  he 
was  damn  soon  caught  at  it  and  had  to  make  tracks  out  'o  that, 
damn  quick,  too,  and  you  needn't  accuse  Pringle,  for  he  knew 
nothing  about  it  till  the  scoundrel  was  detected." 

"  I'm  no  ways  sure  'o  that  'are,"  doggedly  replied  Jackson.  * 


•WASHINGTON  CITY.  145 

"  Well,  unless  you  are  sure,  you  have  no  right  to  speak  of  such 
a  thing,  nor  have  you  any  right  to  talk  of  Shirley's  game  in  the 
manner  which  you  have  done.  I've  been  around  their  game  as 
much  as  any  one,  and  I  don't  think  I've  seen  a  dozen  splits 
altogether ;  that  don't  look  much  like  playing  strippers,  does  it? 
Cotton  is  always  in  the  dealing  chair,  you  complain.  They  keep 
him  there  because  he's  lucky,  and  if  you  were  interested  in  the 
game  you  would  do  the  same ;  at  least  I  know  I  should.  Shirley 
is  too  scary  to  deal  a  large  game  of  faro,  and  as  far  as  Simpson 
is  concerned,  he  probably  knows  more  about  a  horse's  foot  than 
he  does  about  a  pack  of  cards." 

"You  can  all  think  jist  as  you  please,  gentlemen,  this  'ere's  a 
free  country,"  said  Mr.  Jackson,  not  the  best  pleased  in  the 
world  that  his  friend  should  set  up  a  defense  of  these  parties 
against  his  declared  suspicions,  and  the  want  of  active  sympathy 
shown  to  him  by  his  listeners.  "  You  can  think  jist  as  you  please, 
but  no  more  cf  my  money  does  them  there  fellers  get  a  chance  to 
handle.  I've  had  enough  o'  their  game,  mind  that,  gentlemen !" 

"  You've  an  undoubted  right  to  do  as  you  please  with  your 
own  money,  Jackson,  but  you  have  no  right  to  accuse  any  one  of 
cheating  unless  you're  able  to  prove  it.  Supposing  now,  some 
outsider  were  to  hear  you;  they  would  naturally  suppose  if  a 
professional  gambler  could  be  cheated  at  faro  that  they  were 
cheated  every  time  they  lost  against  the  bank.  It  won't  do  to 
wag  your  tongue  in  such  a  careless  way,  Jackson^'  said  his 
friend. 

"  I'm  glad  to  hear  you  express  yourself  so  clearly  on  this  point,  ^ 
sir,"  said  the  Major.      "Gamblers,  sir,  are  prone  to  give  too 
much  license  to  their  tongues,  sir,  and  it  has  never  done  them 
any  good,  but,-  on  the  contrary,  much  evil,  sir." 

When  our  visitors  had  left  us  that  night,  the  Major  said  to  me, 
"  Now,  Jack,  you  see  what  envy  and  selfishness  will  do.  Those 
fellows  who  were  abusing  Simpson  and  his  partners  have  no  other 
cause  for  doing  so  than  because  they  could  not  beat  their  bank, 
and  because  they  could  not,  they  are  trying  to  injure  the  fair 
name  of  those  gentlemen.  Had  they  been  successful,  Mr.  Simp 
son  and  his  associates  would,  no  doubt,  be  a  '  devilish  nice  set  of 
fellows,  sir,'  and  should  we  be  so  lucky  as  to  win  any  of  their 
mopey,  it's  probable  they  will  blackguard  us  in  the  same  manner, 


146  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

"  Well,  Major,  if  they  are  willing  to  stand  the  losing,  I'm  wil 
ling  to  stand  the  blackguarding,"  I  replied,  smiling.  "  But  what 
did  the  gentleman  mean  when  he  said  strippers  were  played  in 
some  of  the  gambling-houses  of  Richmond  ?  " 

tl  Well,  sir,  it  happened  about  a  year  ago  in  Mr.  Pringle's  house. 
A  young  man  from  Kentucky,  it  seems,  was  introduced  to  him 
by  one  of  his  friends  as  a  good  faro-dealer,  besides  being  honest, 
industrious,  and  trustworthy.  After  being  in  the  house  for  a 
month  or  so,  he  was  detected  in  playing  a  pack  of  strippers  on 
the  players.  There  was  a  great  rumpus  about  it  at  the  time,  but 
Mr.  Pringle  exonerated  himself  in  the  most  emphatic  terms: 
said  he  had  no  knowledge  whatever  of  the  matter,  paid  back 
every  man  at  the  table  his  losses,  and  discharged  the  young 
man." 

"  But  what  are  strippers,  and  for  what  are  they  intended?" 

"I'll  tell  you  all  about  it  to-morrow;  I'm  too  fatigued  to-night 
to  do  anything  except  to  go  to  bed  j  so  let's  be  off." 

Messrs.  Shirley  and  Simpson  had  called  upon  us  a  few  days 
after  we  opened  our  bank,  and  gave  us  a  play,  which  ended  with 
out  any  very  important  results,  and,  on  leaving,  invited  us  to 
return  their  call  at  their  rooms.  This  invitation  we  did  not  im 
mediately  take  advantage  of,  and  it  passed  along  a  week  or  so, 
when  Simpson  and  Cotton  came  together  to  our  place  and  lost 
against  the  bank  $350.  When  they  left  Mr.  Simpson  again  in 
vited  us  tacall  on.  him  at  his  faro-rooms,  which  we  promised  to 
do.  It  was,  however,  nearly  a  month  before  we  ajrailed  our- 

ilves  of  his  invitation ;  our  reason  for  not  returning  their  civil- 
ties  sooner  being  a  pressure  of  business,  which  confined  us 
strictly  to  our  own  rooms.  Meanwhile,  Simpson  would  drop  in 
occasionally,  have  a  glass  with  the  Major,  and  talk  over  racing 
matters  with  him — a  subject  in  which  he  was  pretty  well  versed. 

But  his  great  delight  was  in  telling  the  Major  stories  of  his 
quarter -racing:  how  he  had  escaped  the  snares  spread  to  entrap 
him,  and  how  in  every  instance  he  out-jockeyed  his  adversaries. 
His  free,  open  manner,  his  rollicking  stories — which  he  told  well 
— besides  his  knowledge  of  horses  and  racing,  easily  made  him 
a  favorite  with  the  Major.  The  little  good-natured  and  pleas 
ant  attentions  which  he  paid  me,  and  which  are  seldom  met 
with  from  elderly  people  towards  youths  of  my  age,  were  fot- 
tering  to  my  pride,  and  I  naturally  conceived  a  high  opinion 


WASHINGTON  CITY.  147 

of  Mr.  Simpson.  He  had  carefully  refrained  from  pressing 
his  invitation  to  call  at  his  faro-rooms  since  we  had  so  ungra 
ciously  neglected  the  first  ones.  A  couple  of  weeks  or  so 
after  the  firm  of  Shirley,  Simpson  &  Cotton  had  received  such  a 
turning  over  in  our  rooms,  the  Major  concluded,  for  the  first 
time,  he  would  return  the  numerous  visits  of.  Mr.  Simpson 
and  the  calls  of  his  partners,  and  requested  me  to  accompany 
him.  We  had  closed  our  rooms  for  the  night,  it  being  about 
two  o'clock,  A.  M.,  when  we  started  across  the  avenue  to  Mr. 
Shirley's,  to  show  him  and  his  friends,  as  the  Major  expressed  it, 
",that  we  were  gentlemen  of  good  breeding."  We  found  no  one 
in  the  room,  which  was  large  and  neatly  fitted  up  and  furnished, 
but  its  proprietors.  Cotton  was  seated  in  the  dealing-chair, 
with  his  two  fat  legs  on  the  lay-out.  Without,  in  any  respect, 
altering  his  position,  he  twisted  his  vague  countenance  into  what 
was  intended  for  a  smile,  and  drawled  out,  "  How-de-do.  Ma- 
geur?"  Of  myself  he  took  not  the  smallest  notice,  thinking, 
no  doubt,  I  was  the  Major's  young  man,  and  not  worth  it. 

"Well,  by  glory !"  exclaimed  Simpson,  jumping  from  his  chair 
and  giving  the  Major  a  hug  like  that  of  a  grizzly-bear.  When 
he  had  squeezed  him  sufficiently,  he  turned  and  repeated  the  op 
eration  on  me.  "You've  found  out  the  way  over  here  at  last, 
have  you?  Well,  by  George,  we'll  have  a  drink  on  that,  Major. 
Here,  Justice,  stir  your  stumps  and  let  the  Major  and  myself 
have  a  drink,"  said  Simpson  to  his  mulatto  boy.  'fcLet's  have  a 
bottle  of  champagne,  Justice.  We  can  go  a  battle,  eh,  Major  ? 
I  knew  it ! "  he  exclaimed,  when  the  Major  assented  with  a  no/l. 

"  How  is  my  friend,  Mr.  Shirley  ?"  inquired  the  Major  of  that 
gentleman,  who  was  reclining  full  length  on  a  sofa,  having 
scarcely  noticed  our  presence. 

"  Very  oad,  very  bad  indeed,"  he  answered,  in  a  doleful  man 
ner. 

"No  wonder,  by  George !  How  can  a  man  expect  to  be  well 
when  you  can  scarcely  drive  him  out  of  the  house  for  a  mouthful 
of  fresh  air?"  said  Simpson,  addressing  his  conversation  to  the 
Major.  "  Fresh  air's  the  stuff  to  keep  a  man  alive,  if  he  only 
mixes  it  with  two  or  three  dozen  glasses  of  grog  every  day,  eh, 
Major? — ain't  that  so,  old  cock?"  asked  Simpson,  slapping  him 
on  the  back  with  his  open  hand. 

"Better  than  all  the  d — d  doctor's  stuff  ever  invented,"  an- 


148  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

swered  the  Major,  swallowing  at  the  same  moment  the  glass  of 
wine  just  handed  him  by  Justice. 

When  the  bottle  was  finished,  Simpson  said,  good-naturedly, 
"  There,  Major,  is  my  young  man  at  his  post,  ready  to  receive  com 
pany,  and  I'll  tell  you  what,  ole  boy,  we  don't  get  scared  here  at 
anything  a  man  puts  down  to  us.  We're  blooded  stock  here. 
That's  it,  blooded  stock !  No  man  shall  leave  this  room  having 
it  to  say  we  were  afeard  to  turn  for  his  money.  Don't  that  show 
blood,  eh,  Major  ?" 

"  It  does,  sir !  And  that's  the  sort  of  gentlemen  I  like  to  gamble 
with,  when  I'm  flush  of  money,"  rejoined  the  Major. 

"  Well,  thar's  Cotton;  give  'em  a  hug,  ole  boy !" 

"  Not  to-night,  sir !  I'm  not  in  a  playing  humor  to-night,  Mr. 
Simpson." 

"What's  that  got  to  do  with  it?  Humor's  got  nothing  to  do 
with  winning  money  when  there's  a  chance  for  it.  Hoist  out  o' 
there,  Cotton,  till  I  shuffle  up  for  the  Major."  The  latter  did  as 
he  was  ordered,  and  Simpson  took  the  dealing  chair,  and  a  pack 
of  cards  was  handed  him  by  Cotton.  When  he  had  shuffled  and 
boxed  them,  he  bent  over  towards  us  and  slapped  his  hand  on 
the  lay-out, crying  out,  "Here  we  are, ole  stud !  Face  the  music !" 
The  Major  was  badgered  into  playing  against  his  will ;  but  he 
bought  fifty  dollars'  worth  of  checks,  and  to  keep  him  company  I 
invested  fifty  dollars  in  ivory  also,  with  the  determination,  if  I 
lost  that,  to  lose««io  more.  But  alas  for  the  mutability  of  human 
resolutions.  Where  one  person  will  make  and  keep  such  a  res 
olution,  twenty  frill  break  it,  and  be  insidiously  carried  away 
with  their  first  R>ss,  and  keep  risking  mor^,  in  the  hope  of  re 
gaining  what  they  have  already  lost. 

In  two  deals  the  Major  was  the  winner  of  $375,  and  I  had  also 
been  fortunate  enough  to  pick  up  $140,  when  Simpson  sprang 
from  the  chair,  crying  out,  "  Here,  Cotton,  I'll  turn  tftse  gentle 
men  over  to  you.  I  don't  believe  I'm  a  good  faro-dealer,  nohow. 
Getting  too  old  to  win,  eh,  Major  I" 

"  They  say  youngsters  are  luckier  than  old  ones;  but  if  they'd 
take  my  advice,  they'd  be  a  damn  sight  luckier  yet,  which  is  to 
let  gambling  alone,  and  follow  some  other  business,  sir!" 

"  That's  it,  Major,"  cried  Simpson,  slapping  his  hands  forcibly 
together.  "  I've  been  trying  to  beat  that  into  Cotton's  skull  ever 
since  I've  known  him.  But  it's  too  infernal  thick  for  him  to  see 


WASHINGTON  CITY.  149 

it,  so  he  can  go  to  hell  his  own  gait ;  ain't  that  sense,  eh  ?  Here, 
Shirley,"  he  continued,  "  get  off  that  sofa,  and  come  and  look  out 
for  Cotton;  if  he  gets  losing  he  couldn't  see  a  white  steer  run 
across  the  table ;  and  Justice,  open  another  bottle  o'  that  wine  ; 
we're  getting  infernal  thirsty  here." 

Mr.  Cotton,  without  hearing  the  remarks  of  his  partner,  put  the 
pack  with  which  he  had  been  dealing,  in  the  card-box,  and  took 
from  it  a  fresh  one,  shuffled  it  up,  and  put  it  into  the  dealing-box. 
The  first  two  or  three  riffles,  which  he  gave  to  the  cards,  as  he 
began  shuffling,  attracted  my  attention.  The  sound  struck  on  my 
ear  as  harsh  and  unnatural.  Instead  of  that  mellow  sound, 
which  can  be  compared  to  nothing  but  a  covey  of  partridges 
starting  on  the  wing,  which  a  fine  pack  of  cards  give  forth,  in  the 
hands  of  an  expert  shuffler,  it  seemed  like  a  rough  pack  of  paste 
board  cards.  No  suspicion  of  wrong  crossed  my  mind  at  that 
time,  however.  The  Major  lost  $400  on  his  deal,  while  I,  playing 
small  and  cautious,  lost  $60.  Cotton  again  shuffled  his  cards, 
and  again  I  listened  for  the  unnatural  sound,  but  this  tune  failed 
to  detect  it,  from  which  circumstance  I  concluded  I  had  been 
mistaken.  Several  deals  were  made  with  this  pack,  and  finally 
one  on  which  the  Major  got  even,  and  won,  besides,  $20.  Cotton 
now  put  this  pack  away  and  took  a  fresh  one,  and  in  the  shuf 
fling  I  again  detected  the  sound  which  had  struck  so  discord 
antly  on  my  ear  before,  and  on  this  deal  the  Major  lost  $600",  and 
I  $200.  Two  more  were  made  with  this  pack,  on  which  the  Major 
and  myself  won  a  few  hundreds,  when  Cotton  again  changed  the 
pack,  and  took  another  one  from  the  card-box.  My  ears  were 
now  on  the  alert  to  detect  that  singular  sound,  which  had  first 
surprised  me,  and  then  aroused  my  suspicions  that  some  fraud 
was  being  practiced  upon  us.  It  was,  I  had  observed,  when  a 
fresh  pack  <fras  brought  in,  that  we  scarcely  won  a  bet  on  a  deal, 
and  it  was  only  on  those  occasions  that  the  cards  gave  forth  that 
harsh  noise  while  being  shuffled.  Another  feature  of  Cotton's 
dealing  my  keen  sense  of,  hearing  had  not  failed  to  detect,  as 
unnatural.  When  a  card  is  pushed  from  the  dealing-box,  while 
making  a  turn,  it  glides  out  with  a  nice,  fine  sound,  which 
falls  on  the  ear  pleasantly.  I  discovered  the  monotony  of  this 
sound  broken  in  upon  several  times  during  a  deal,  and  in  place 
of  the  easy,  gliding  sound,  the  cards  would  issue  from  the  box 
with  a  " cluck,"  as  if  the  mouth  of  the  box  were  choked;  and  I 


150  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

observed  that  it  was  immediately  subsequent  to  these  "clucks," 
that  our  bets  were, picked  up  off  the  lay-out  by  the  fat  fingers  of 
Cotton.  The  idea  that  a  dealer  could  cheat  bis  players  at  faro 
never  once  crossed  my  brain  until  I  was  in  Richmond.  Late  one 
night,  in  our  gambling-room,  I  heard  a  gambler  say,  when  none 
were  present  but  those  of  his  own  profession,  that  a  new  trick 
had  been  invented,  by  which  a  faro-dealer  could  cheat  his  players, 
by  taking  from  the  dealing-box  two  cards  instead  of  one  at  a 
time.  Also  that  persons  were  traveling  around  the  country 
practicing  it  upon  the  unwary,  and  that  the  shrewdest  gamblers 
were  imposed  upon  by  it,  as  well  as  the  greenest  fools.  On  the 
following  morning  I  mentioned  what  I  had  heard  to  the  Major, 
who  laughed  at  the  idea  that  a  faro-dealer  could  cheat  his 
players,  and  told  me  he  had  been  listening  to  similar  nonsensical 
stories  for  thirty  years;  but  said  they  had  no  other  foundation 
than  in  the  cracked  brains  of  the  crazy  gamblers  who  went 
about  telling  them.  The  Major's  opinion  on  all  matters  pertain 
ing  to  play  being  to  me  law  and  gospel,  I  thought  no  more  on 
the  subject  until  the  evening  when  Jackson  thought  proper  to 
ventilate  his  suspicions  at  our  rooms,  with  regard  to  the  fair 
ness  of  the  game  kept  in  Shirley's  house.  At  the  same  time 
the  question  of  strippers  came  up,  and  their  having  been  played 
at  Pringle's  bank  in  Richmond.  Both  subjects  aroused  my 
curiosity,  which  did  not  rest  until  I  had  made  the  Major  explain 
to  me  the  nature  of  strippers,  and  to  what  uses  they  were  put. 
From  the  explanation  which  I  then  received  from  him,  I  was 
satisfied  that  Cotton  was  not  playing  strippers  on  us ;  but  I  felt 
convinced  that  he  had  a  decided  advantage  over  us,  which  alarm 
ed  me,  and  I  would  have  taken  the  Major  home  immediately,  had 
it  been  possible  to  do  so.  But  he  was  already  $900  loser,  and 
pretty  drunk,  so  that  I  had  lost  all  influence  over  hift.  He  had 
divested  himself  of  his  coat  and  vest,  and  also  hjs  neckerchief,  and 
was  calling  the  servant  to  bring  more  wine,  at  least  once  in  every 
deal.  Simpson,  after  getting  the  game  going,  had  stretched 
himself  full  length  on  the  sofa,  with  his  feet  cocked  in  the  air, 
and  was  now  treating  us  to  a  most  discordant  tune  from  his  nasal 
organs,  while  Shirley  lounged  half  asleep  in  the  look-out  chair. 
Being  now  firmly  convinced  that  the  stupid  looking  young 
scamp  dealing  was  cheating  us,  and  that  he  did  so  every  time 
he  brought  into  play  a  fresh  pack  of  cards,  I  played  along 


WASHINGTON  CITY.  151 

lightly,  being  now  loser  to  the  tune  of  $450,  and  kept  my  eyes 
and  ears  open  without  showing  him  that  I  harbored  any  suspi 
cion.  He  continued  changing  his  cards  more  often  the  farther 
we  proceeded  in  our  play,  until  he  only  made  the  second  deal 
with  one  pack,  when  he  exchanged  it  for  a  fresh  one.  Another 
circumstance  strongly  confirmed  my  suspicions  that  he  was  rob 
bing  us.  I  noticed  that  several  times  during  a  deal  his  fore 
finger  and  thumb  would  press  heavily  against  that  corner  of  the 
dealing-box  nearest  him,  and  that  whenever  he  did  so,  that  in 
fernal  " cluck"  would  be  heard  as  the  cards  fell  from  the  box. 
Then  for  the  first  time  the  thought  struck  me  to  count  the  cards 
as  they  came  from  the  box.  I  did  so  the  next  time  he  took  a 
fresh  pack,  and  found,  when  the  deal  was  ended,  that  but  forty- 
four  cards  had  left  the  dealing-box.  Without  a  word  being  spoken 
among  us,  he  shuffled  up  the  same  pack,  and  gave  us  a  new  deal 
with  it,  on  which  the  Major  won  $550;  he  was  still  loser  of 
about  $1400,  and  I  was  loser  nearly  $600.  Cotton  now  cast  the 
pack  aside,  and  took  another  from  one  of  the  pigeon-holes  of  the 
card-box,  and  shuffled;  the  cards,  during  the  operation,  giving 
forth  the  strange  sound  which  first  attracted  my  attention.  I 
was  now  alive  to  the  occasion,  and  determined  to  close  his 
career  for  the  present,  at  least  on  that  deal.  The  Major,  em 
boldened  by  his  success  on  the  preceding  deal,  commenced  laying 
his  money  heavily  against  the  bank,  hoping  to  retrieve  his  losses. 
On  the  first  turn  out  of  the  box  he  won  a  $100  bet.  Several  more 
turns  were  made  without  any  action  having  taken  place,  when 
Cotton,  straightening  himself  in  his  chair,  the  muscles  of  his 
thumb  and  fore-finger,  resting  on  the  corner  of  the  dealing-box, 
began  to  contract,  and  a  card  was  shoved  out ;  it  left  the  mouth 
of  the  box  with  a  cluck,  and  was  poised  between  the  fore-finger 
and  thumb  .of  Cotton's  right  hand ;  but  before  he  had  time  to 
drop  it  on  the  pack  of  dealt  cards,  I  reached  across  the  table 
and  snatched  it  from  his  fingers ;  two  cards  tvere  there,  instead 
of  one.  I  separated  the  two  cards  with  my  finger  and  thumb, 
and  held  them  both  up  before  the  terror-stricken  face  of  Cotton. 
"That's  nice  work,  Mr.  Cotton!"  I  said,  exultingly,  shaking  the 
two  cards  in  his  face.  Speechless  and  dumbfounded,  Cotton  sat 
in  his  chair ;  nor  could  Shirley,  who  had  started  bolt  upright  in 
his  the  moment  I  snatched  the  cards,  find  a  word  to  come  to 
the  relief  of  his  accomplice.  The  Major  could  not  understand 


152  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

my  behavior,  and  stared  in  speechless  astonishment  at  me  for  a 
time,  and  then  demanded,  "What  the  devil"  I  was  "about, 
sir?"  "Nothing  more  nor  less,  Major,  than  that  this  thief  has 
been  robbing  us;  and  here,"  I  cried,  holding  up  the  two  cards 
before  his  puzzled  face,  "are  the  proofs  of  his  guilt."  The  sound 
of  my  voice,  pitched  in  an  excited  key,  awoke  Simpson,  who 
sprang  to  his  feet  with,  "Who  talks  of  robbing  ?  What's  the  mat 
ter  here  ?  " 

"I  do,  Mr  Simpson,"  I  said,  in  a  quiet,  but  firm  tone,  and  with  a 
determined  manner.  "I  have  caught  your  dealer  robbing  us, 
and  here's  the  two  cards  I  snatched  from  his  fingers,  after  he 
had  passed  them  from  the  dealing-box  as  one,"  holding  up  the 
cards  for  his  inspection. 

"Nonsense!  nonsense!  We  rob  nobody,  boy,  here!  Major, 
your  young  man's  excited;  do  you  know  what  the  matter  is 
with  him?" 

"He  says  we've  been  swindled,  sir,  and  if  I  find  it's  true,  look 
out  for  yourself,  sir,"  replied  the  irate  Major. 

"Now,  Major,  be  easy;  you're  a  sensible  man,  and  can  listen  to 
reason.  Mr.  Cotton,  explain  this  matter !  I  wouldn't  have  a 
misunderstanding  with  my  friend,  Major  Jenks,  for  all  the 
damned  money  in  Washington.  Pray  explain  matters,  Mr. 
Cotton?" 

Cotton,  thus  adjured,  still  laboring  under  great  agitation,  could 
barely  stammer  out,  "There's  n-n-nothing  the  matter,  sir, 
only  the  mouth  of  the  dealing-box  is  too  open  for  the  cards,  and 
two  slipped  out  instead  of  one,  an'  he  there,"  pointing  to  me, 
"thinks  as  how  there's  somethink  wrong,  that's  all  the  matter, 
sir." 

"My  dear  Major,  I  see  it  all !  It's  only  a  mere  accident.  You 
know,  yourself,  that  cards  will  frequently  slip  out  of  a  box  when 
the  mouth  is  a  little  too  open,  or  the  cards  a  little  too  thin.  It's 
nothing  more  nor  less,  I  assure  you,  gentlemen,"  explained  Mr. 
Simpson. 

"  I'm  not  to  be  put  off  with  any  such  explanation,  Mr.  Simp 
son,"  I  replied. 

"But,  my  young  friend,  what  good  would  it  do  the  bank,  to 
drop  two  cards  instead  of  one,  or  even  five,  hey?" 

"I  don't  know,"  I  rejoined,  "but  that's  precisely  what  I  mean 
to  find  out ;"  and,  suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  I  reached  over 
and  seized  hold  of  the  dealing-box  and  the  cards. 


CITY.  153 

"Stop,  sir !  We  don't  allow  any  one  to  meddle  with  our  tools," 
cried  Simpson,  advancing  to  take  the  things  from  me.  But  be 
fore  he  could  accomplish  his  purpose,  the  muzzle  of  a  cocked 
pistol  was  staring  him  in  the  face.  My  action  was  so  unexpect 
ed,  that,  for  a  moment,  he  staggered  back  against  the  Major, 
crying  out,  "Do  you  want  to  murder  me,  you  infernal  assassin?" 

"  Yes,  I  do,  if  you  interfere  with  me  here,"  I  said,  in  a  menac 
ing  manner. 

"Don't,  for  God's  sake,  Jack,  do  anything  rash!"  ejaculated 
the  Major. 

Finding  now  that  I  had  matters  pretty  much  my  own  way, 
and  feeling  no  way  disposed  to  give  up  my  advantages,  I  calmly 
seated  myself  at  the  end  of  the  faro-table,  and  proceeded  to  ex 
amine  the  cards,  Simpson  and  his  partners  standing  on  the  floor 
in  front  of  me,  the  latter  not  daring  to  put  in  half  a  word,  let 
alone  a  whole  one.  I  placed  my  pistol  on  the  table  before  me, 
and  took  up  the  cards  and  leveled  them  side-ways  on  the  table, 
and  then  inspected  the  sides  and  the  ends  of  the  pack.  I  dis 
covered  that  one  side  had  been  trimmed  slightly;  that  is,  that  it 
had  a  serrated  appearance.  I  separated  the  narrow  cards  from 
the  full  ones,  that  is,  those  which  had  been  trimmed  from  those 
which  had  not  been,  and  I  then  discovered  that  one-half  the 
cards  had  been  slightly  trimmed  near  the  corners  on  one  of  the 
sides  only,  while  the  other  half  of  the  pack  remained  untouched. 
I  found,  on  close  inspection,  that  the  trimmed  cards  were 
roughed,  by  some  process,  on  their  faces,  and  the  untrimmed  ones 
were  roughed  on  their  backs;  by  placing  the  untrimmed  cards 
upon  the  trimmed  ones,  they  adhered  so  closely  as  to  appear  but 
a  single  card,  and  could  not  be  separated  until  spread  apart  by 
the  fingers  and  thumbs.  Simpson,  notwithstanding  the  cocked 
pistol  at  my  side,  did  not  permit  me  to  pursue  my  investigations 
in  peace.  He  insisted  that  I  should  restore  to  him  the  dealing- 
box  and  cards,  and  repeatedly  informed  me  he  was  not  to  be 
brow-beaten  in  this  manner  in  his  own  house.  But  by  this  time 
the  Major  had  become  somewhat  sobered  up,  and  warned  him 
that  any  interference  from  him  would  result  in  his  receiving  a 
hickory  cane  over  his  head,  in  no  very  gentle  manner.  "But 
this  is  an  infernal  outrage,  Major,  and  I'm  not  a  going  to  put  up 
with  it,  damn  me  if  I  am,  sir." 

"He  must  examine  those  cards;  he's  lost  his  money  against 
them,  and  he  has  a  right  to  know  how  he's  lost  it,  sir." 


154  WANDERINGS  or  A  VAGABOND. 

"I  say  he  ain't  no  right  to  grab  a  man's  cards  that  way,  and 
by  God  he  shan't  do  it  in  my  house  neither,  recollect  that, 
Major  Jenks!" 

Cotton  and  Shirley  now  for  the  first  began  to  display  a  little 
courage  and  bluster.  The  former  told  Simpson  to  send  the  boy 
for  a  policeman,  accompanying  his  advice  with  the  remark  that 
things  had  come  to  a  pretty  pass,  when  a  man  was  to  be  robbed 
in  his  own  house.  Without  paying  any  attention  to  their  threats 
or  bluster,  I  pitched  a  card  from  my  hand  to  the  table,  then 
another,  and  another,  all  of  which  fell  as  a  single  card.  I  then 
picked  up  each  card,  pressed  it  between  my  thumb  and  finger, 
when  it  separated  into  two  cards.  "These  cards,  Major,"  I 
said,  "are  made  to  adhere  together,  in  order  that  two  maybe 
forced  from  the  box  at  once.  They  are  stocked  in  advance;  the 
trimmed  cards  are  all  nines,  tens,  jacks  and  trays,  fours  and 
fives.  The  untrimmed  ones  are  the  aces,  deuces,  kings,  queens, 
eights,  sevens,  and  sixes.  By  shoving  two  cards  from  the  box 
at  once,  one  of  these  denominations  will  always  win,  while  the 
others  will  as  invariably  lose.  Now,  Major,  you  see  how  they've 
been  robbing  us  to-night ! " 

"It's  a  damned  lie!  You've  not  been  robbed,  and  you  only 
say  so  because  you  don't  want  to  give  up  the  money  you've  lost 
fairly,"  cried  Simpson. 

Without  making  him  any  reply,  I  sprang  over  the  table, 
opened  the  card-box  where  the  money  was,  every  cent  of  which 
came  from  our  pockets,  and  conveyed  it  back  whence  at  least 
some  of  it  came,  viz.,  my  own  pocket,  no  attempt  being  made  to 
interfere  with  me. 

"I'll  have  you  arrested  for  robbery !"  roared  Simpson. 

"Will  you,  though!"  I  answered  with  a  sneer:  "and  I'll  have 
the  three  of  you  in  the  penitentiary  for  swindling,  and  here's  my 
proof,"  I  cried,  holding  up  the  cards  and  dealing-box. 

"Major,  do  you  countenance  such  robbery  as  this?"  appealed 
Mr.  Simpson. 

"I'll  show  you  whether  I  do  or  not.  Jack,  run  to  the  window 
and  cry  'police'  as  loud  as  you  can.  Damn  me  if  I  don't  have 
this  matter  settled  by  the  proper  authorities,  sir."  This  move 
ment  on  the  part  of  the  Major  was  a  stunner.  Simpson  believed 
him  to  be  terribly  in  earnest,  and  surrendered  at  discretion.  He 
was  the  only  one  of  the  firm  that  had  shown  any  courage  hi  a 


WASHINGTON  CITY.  155 

bad  cause,  but  the  idea  of  public  exposure  was  more  than  he 
could  stand.  Not  that  he  was  afraid  of  the  law — he  was  well 
aware  that  there  was  no  law  to  punish  him  for  swindling  at 
cards ;  but  he  had  already  done  too  much  swindling  in  Wash 
ington,  and  exposure  would  drive  him  from  it,  and  brand  him  as 
a  sharper  wherever  he  went.  Besides,  it  might  bring  down  on 
him  the  vengeance  of  some  of  his  victims  before  he  could  get 
beyond  their  reach.  I  had  started  for  the  window  in  pursuance 
of  the  Major's  command,  when  I  was  arrested  by  the  voice  of 
Simpson  calling  out,  "  Hold  on,  young  man;  I  reckon  we  can  set 
tle  our  little  diffikilties  without  calling  in  the  perlice,  don't  you, 
Major,  eh?" 

"Yes,  sir,  we  can,  on  one  condition,  which  is,  that  you  ac 
knowledge  that  we  were  swindled,  and  are  entitled  to  have  our 
money  back.  And  unless  you  do  so,  I  shall  place  this  matter  in 
the  hands  of  justice.  Do  you  accede  to  my  terms,  sir?"  de 
manded  the  Major,  bringing  his  cane  down  on  the  floor. 

I  was  afraid  the  old  fellow  was  pushing  matters  a  little  too 
strong ;  I  wanted  only  to  get  our  money,  and  leave  the  place  as 
quietly  as  possible.  I  felt  immeasurably  relieved  when  Simpson, 
instead  of  rejecting  the  terms  indignantly,  as  I  fully  expected  he 
would,  only  said,  in  a  deprecating  manner,  "  Well,  well,  Major, 
let's  take  a  drink  on  it,  all 'round,  and  let  by-gones  be  by-goues.'' 

"No,  sir,  I'm  damned  if  I  do,"  said  the  Major. 

"Yes  you  will,  too,  Major,"  I  broke  in;  "let's  have  no  more- 
hard  feelings  about  this  affair,  but  forget  it  and  take  a  drink 
with  Mr.  Simpson." 

"No,  sir!  I'm  damned  if  I  do,"  reiterated  the  Major,  bringing 
down  his  cane  with  an  emphatic  thump  on  the  floor.  "I'm  afraid 
his  liquor  w.ould  poison  me,  sir!" 

"You've  taken  many  a  dose  of  it  this  evening,  Major,  and 
you  ain't  dead  yet,"  said  Simpson,  laughing.  "But  come,  let  us 
shake  hands  and  be  friends.  You  can't  make  no  money  by 
bearing  malice;  come,  give  us  your  hand,  man,"  entreated 
Simpson,  holding  out  his  own. 

"No,  sir!  I  never  take  the  hand  of  a  thief,  if  I  know  him  to  be 
one."  Then,  turning  to  me,  said,  "Jack,  let's  get  out  of  this 
infernal  den !"  We  were  soon  in  the  street  and  on  our  way 
home.  It  was  not  till  I  reached  my  room  that  I  discovered  that 
I  had  in  my  pocket  the  cards  and  dealing- box  which  I  had 


156  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

taken  from  Cotton.  My  first  impulse  was  to  take  it  back;  but  I 
reflected  that  I  was  not  sufficiently  acquainted  with  the  work 
ings  of  the  box  and  cards,  and  was  very  desirous  of  being  better 
versed  in  their  mysteries.  I  concluded  I  would  wait  until  next 
day,  when  I  would  restore  both  to  their  owners.  The  next 
evening  some  of  our  patrons  reported  that  the  rooms  of  Mr. 
Shirley  were  closed,  and  no  lights  to  be  seen  about  the  premises. 
On  the  following  day  I  ascertained  that  the  furniture  had  been 
removed,  secretly,  no  one  knew  whither;  the  proprietors  were 
not  visible,  nor  could  any  one  tell  where  they  might  be  found. 
For  several  months  their  sudden  and  mysterious  departure  was 
the  subject  of  much  speculation  among  the  sporting  fraternity  of 
Washington  city,  but  none  were  made  any  wiser  by  either  the 
Major  or  myself. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

INVENTORS. 

The  person  who  first  conceived  the  idea  of  ironing  a  shirt  was 
a  genius,  and  the  first  ship-builder  was  a  benefactor  to  his  race. 
So  says  Voltaire,  at  least,  and  he  was  a  good  judge.  We  have 
long  been  proudly  enjoying  ironed  shirts,  and  the  convenience  of 
ships,  without  knowing  or  in  the  least  caring  to  inquire  to  whom 
we  are  indebted  for  these  blessings.  The  inventions  of  mankind 
to  supply  our  wants  and  minister  to  our  pleasures  have  been 
many  and  various,  and,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  those  who  spent 
years  in  elaborating  them  are  lost  to  human  memory.  Many  a 
poor  wretch  has  consumed  the  best  years  of  his  life  in  trying  to 
produce  something  which  would  be  useful  to  his  fellow-men, 
and  has  gone  down  to  his  grave  without  meeting  with  even  a 
cold  acknowledgment  of  his  labors— a  ruined,  disappointed  man ; 
while  another,  more  fortunate,  would  seize  upon  his  invention 
and  enrich  himself.  The  origin  of  many  of  the  arts  is  lost  in  the 
darkness  of  ages.  In  the  vast  empire  of  China,  even,  at  the 
present  day,  the  hand  of  the  man  of  genius  is  paralyzed  by  the 
thought  that  his  efforts  will  remain  entirely  unknown.  The 
same  want  of  respect  was  shown  to  inventors,  with  the  exception 
of  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  by  all  the  nations  of  antiquity.  The 


INVENTORS.  157 

pyramids  of  Egypt  have  outlasted  the  names  of  their  designers. 
That  stupendous  monument  of  human  skill,  the  great  wall  of 
China,  one  thousand  five  hundred  miles  in  length,  thirty  feet 
high,  and  fifteen  feet  thick  on  the  top,  has  outlived  two  thousand 
centuries;  but  the  name  of  the  man  who  first  conceived  the 
grand  idea  of  building  it  is  unknown.  The  names  of  cut-throat 
warriors  and  stupid  princes  are  ever  carefully  preserved  in  the 
archives  of  nations,  but  the  man  who  in  vents  a  life  or  labor  saving 
machine  is  left  to  die  unhonored  and  unsung.  It  is  only  within 
the  last  two  centuries  or  so  that  the  inventor's  talents  have  been 
properly  appreciated  and  acknowledged  among  Christian  nations, 
and  a  century  has  not  elapsed  since  they  have  been  benefited 
pecuniarily  in  any  proper  degree,  by  the  productions  of  their 
brains.  At  the  present  day  a  new  novel,  drama,  picture,  poem,  or 
opera,  will  electrify  a  whole  nation  of  people  until  they  become 
tired  of  it,  when  they  will  toss  the  production  aside  like  a  child 
the  toy  which  no  longer  pleases  its  fancy.  Change  and  amuse 
ment,  or,  I  might  say,  change  of  amusement,  is  as  necessary  to 
mankind  as  the  food  we  eat  or  the  air  we  breathe.  And  in  these 
days  whoever  brings  forth  something  novel  to  instruct  or  amuse, 
(but  particularly  the  latter)  or  lessen  the  labors  of  his  race,  peans 
will  be  shouted  in  his  praise,  every  lip  will  repeat  his  name,  and 
wealth  will  be  showered  upon  him ;  and,  when  ready  for  planting, 
the  press  will  vie  with  each  other  in  giving  him  an  obituary. 

After  the  above  learned  disquisition,  I  will  come  to  my 
subject.  Card-playing  has  from  time  immemorial  contributed 
to  the  enjoyment  of  the  people.  We  are  told  by  some  writers 
that  cards  were  invented  by  one  Jaquin  Gringouneur  for  the 
amusement  of  his  mad  prince  (Charles  VII.  of  France) ;  but  it  is 
probable  that  this  assertion  of  history,  like  many  another  one,  is 
a  mistake.  We  find  mentioned  that  John  I.,  of  Castile,  in  1387, 
prohibited  the  use  of  cards  throughout  his  dominions,  by  an  edict. 
It  is  believed  by  many  students  of  history  that  cards  were 
known  in  India  and  China  long  before  the  Christian  era. 
Nothing  produced  by  the  brains  of  man  has  offered  so  many 
and  various  kinds  of  amusements  as  cards,  or  been  so  lasting. 
Many  games  formerly  played  with  them  are  entirely  forgotten, 
others  obsolete,  and  new  ones  have  been  invented  to  fill  their 
places ;  goods  and  money,  cattle  and  horses,  houses  and  lands, 
have  changed  hands  on  the  issue  of  these  games,  and  will  con- 


158  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

tinue  to  do  so  as  long  as  cards  are  in  existence ;  still,  the 
name  of  the  inventor  of  a  single  one  of  these  is  unknown  to  us. 
Is  it  because  their  creations  were  of  no  practical  benefit  to  man 
kind?  Why,  then,  neither  were  Hamlet,  Ivanhoe,  The  Corsair, 
Norma,  and  many  other  works,  the  names  of  whose  authors  will 
live  through  succeeding  ages.  These  productions  only  serve  to 
amuse  our  leisure,  and  many  of  our  games  of  chance  display 
quite  as  much  genius — of  a  different  sort,  certainly,  but  still 
genius — in  their  conception,  as  any  of  these  charming  compo 
sitions.  The  game  of  chess  is  one  of  the  grandest  efforts  of  the 
human  mind ;  for  complexity  and  dexterity,  it  far  surpasses 
any  known  game.  Men  have  spent  a  life-time,  from  buoyant 
youth  to  driveling  age,  poring  over  some  of  its  moves,  without 
having  been  able  to  master  them  satisfactorily  to  themselves. 
Thousands  of  persons  have  for  a  life-time  pursued  their  favorite 
pastime  of  whist,  without  perhaps  a  single  person  in  those 
thousands  comprehending  the  different  combinations  of  hands 
which  may  appear  at  a  whist  table,  or  the  most  skillful  manner 
of  playing  them,  to  insure  success.  Mathematics,  mechanics, 
and  astronomy  can  be  mastered  by  study,  as  well  as  their  like 
sciences.  Why  not,  then,  as  easily,  the  movements  on  a  chess 
board,  or  the  different  combinations  of  various  hands  at  whist 
and  other  games  played  with  cards? 

The  inventor  of  a  game  of  hazard  should  be  well  posted  up  in 
the  doctrine  of  chances ;  inasmuch  as  that,  should  his  creation  de 
viate  in  any  respect  from  the  law  of  fairness,  it  would  be  false. 
Our  country  has  been  prolific  of  inventors,  from  railroads  and 
telegraphs  down  to  matches  and  patent  medicines,  but  as  yet 
none  have  invented  a  game  played  with  cards ;  that  is,  a  fair, 
square,  honest  game,  acknowledged  and  adopted  as  such.  But 
if  we  have  been  deficient  in  creating  games  of  hazard,  we  have 
not  been  wanting  as  far  as  altering  them  to  suit  our  own  pur 
poses  are  concerned.  Our  country  for  many  years  has  been  pro 
lific  in  such  geniuses.  It  is  a  prevalent  opinion  among  foreigners 
that  our  country  produces  the  most  scientific  gamblers  in  the 
world.  Such,  however,  is  not  the  case.  The  gamblers  of  Mexi 
co  and  the  South  American  nations,  and  also  'those  of  Europe, 
are  equally  skillful  in  their  profession;  and  the  sharpers  of 
Europe,  if  anything,  surpass  those  of  our  country  in  their  manip 
ulations  of  cards,  dice,  etc.  It  is  our  inventive  powers  which 


INVESTORS.  159 

have  caused  foreigners  to  have  so  high  an  opinion  of  our  gamb 
ling  talent.  Nearly  every  banking  game  of  chance  which  has 
been  introduced  into  this  country  has  been  perverted  from  its 
original  fairness,  in  order  that  the  percentage  might  be  more 
favorable  to  the  bankers,  or,  what  is  worse,  to  place  them  so 
entirely  in  the  hands  of  sharpers  that  they  can  bid  defiance  to 
fortune  whenever  they  have  for  adversaries  men  having  more 
money  than  brains.  As  faro  has  in  this  country  more  play 
against  it  than  all  .the  other  banking  games  combined,  sharpers 
have  for  the  last  fifty  years  concentrated  on  it  their  talents,  for 
the  purpose  of  devising  cunning  schemes  for  swindling  both  the 
dealer  and  the  player ;  and  I  shall  now  make  it  my  business  to 
examine  how  far  they  have  succeeded. 

FARO-BOXES.  , 

In  describing  the  game  of  faro  I  stated  that,  previous  to  the 
introduction  of  these  boxes,  it  was  customary  for  the  dealer  to 
hold  the  pack  of  cards  face  downward,  while  he  turned  over  with 
his  right  hand  a  card  from  the  top  of  the  pack  This  was  the 
player's  card ;  he  then  turned  over  another,  which  was  for  the 
bank,  and  kept  on  doing  so  until  the  pack  was  exhausted.  This 
method  frequently  placed  the  bank  at  the  mercy  of  shrewd  and 
keen-eyed  men  ;  a  blotch,  bend,  or  scratch  on  a  card  would  be 
sufficient  to  give  them  a  very  decided  advantage  over  the  bank, 
and  cause  it  heavy  loss.  To  guard  against  such  accidents,  faro- 
boxes  were  introduced,  and  it  is  said  were  invented  in  the  year 
1822,  by  a  Virginian  by  the  name  of  Major  Bayley.  The  box 
which  he  invented,  however,  was  a  clumsy  affair ;  it  was  wider 
than  it  was  long,  and  was  covered  over  on  the  top,  except  an  ob 
long  hole  in  the  middle,  just  large  enough  to  push  the  top  card 
from  the  box  with  a  single  finger.  The  cards  rested  in  the  box 
back  upwards,  and  were  dealt  from  it  in  the  same  manner  as 
when  the  dealer  held  the  cards  in  his  hand.  These  boxes  were 
not  favorably  received,  and  were  viewed  with  suspicion  by  play 
ers,  more  on  account  of  their  hiding  the  cards  than  anything  else. 
The  licensed  gambling-houses  in  New  Orleans  would  not  use 
them,  nor  were  they  received  with  any  more  favor  in  the  North 
ern  States.  They  were  used,  however,  in  some  parts  of  the 
country  until  replaced  by  open  boxes.  In  or  about  the  year 


160  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

1825,  an  unrivaled  genius,  by  the  name  of  Graves,  a  watchma 
ker  in  Cincinnati,  invented  the  open  dealing-box,  similar  to  those 
in  use  at  the  present  time,  though  since  then  many  improve 
ments  have  been  made.  Following  on  the  heels  of  his  faro-box 
invention,  his  prolific  brain  discovered  a  method  of  cheating  the 
players  with  his  boxes  by  a  cunningly  devised  arrangement 
known  to  the  sharpers  of  early  days  as  "  gaff." 

GAFF. 

This  trick  was  played  in  the  following  manner:  The  plate 
covering  the  mouth  of  the  box  was  very  thin  and  flexible,  so  as 
to  give  upwards,  if  desirable,  to  force  two  cards  from  the  box  at 
once.  The  next  thing  required  was  a  pack  of  cards  that  could  be 
stocked  to  suit  the  wants  of  the  manipulator.  This  was  accom 
plished  by  trimming  the  cards  of  different  denominations  in  con  vex 
and  concave  shapes.  For  example  :  the  kings,  queens,  aces  and 
deuces  were  separated  from  the  others ;  these  were  trimmed  by 
a  convex  plate  made  for  the  purpose,  while  the  remainder  of  the 
pack  were  trimmed  with  a  concave  plate.  The  pack  being  now 
ready  for  use,  the  manipulator  shuffles  it  thoroughly,  in  the  usual 
manner,  then  strips  it  in  the  following  fashion :  He  holds  one 
end  of  the  pack  between  the  fingers  and  thumb  of  his  left  hand, 
while  the  other  end  is  resting  on  the  table ;  he  places  the  fingers 
and  thumb  of  his  right  hand  on  the  sides  of  the  pack,  at  the 
middle,  which  makes  them  rest  on  the  convex  cards.  He  then 
draws  the  pack  apart  with  a  quick  jerk,  which  leaves  the  c^n- 
cave  cards  in  his  left  hand  and  the  convex  in  his  right ;  these  he 
throws  upon  the  top  of  the  pack,  which  leaves  it  ready  for  stock 
ing.  This  was  formerly  done  in  the  following  manner :  While 
holding  the  pack  above  the  table  firmly  in  the  fingers  and  thumb 
of  the  left  hand,  he  "  milks  it  down  "  with  the  thumb  and  fingers 
of  his  right  hand ;  that  is,  he  draws  a  card  from  the  bottom  of 
the  pack  and  one  from  the  top  at  the  same  time,  and  continues 
to  do  so  until  he  has  "  milked  "  off  fifty-two  cards,  making  a 
concave  card  and  a  convex  one  fall  alternately  together,  which 
completes  the  stock.  He  then  cuts  the  pack  and  puts  it  in  the 
dealing-box.  If  a  king,  queen,  ace,  or  deuce  (the  convex  cards) 
are  seen  on  the  top  in  the  dealing-box,  or  at  any  time  during  the 
deal  after  a  turn  is  made,  the  manipulator  will  know  that  all 


INVENTORS.  16] 

those  cards  will  win.  Should  it  be  for  his  interest  to  change  the 
stock,  he  shoves  two  cards  from  the  box  at  once  and  the  kings, 
queens,  aces  and  deuces  will  all  come  losing,  and  whenever  he 
wishes  them  to  come  winning  again  he  accomplishes  his  purpose 
by  pushing  two  more  cards  through  the  box,  in  place  of  one. 
This  is  done  in  the  following  manner :  Hidden  underneath  one 
of  the  fingers  of  his  left  hand,  the  manipulator  holds  his  "  gaff," 
a  small  pointed  instrument  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  length 
and  the  size  of  a  small  darning-needle,  shaped  like  the  point  of 
a  shoemaker's  awl.  This  instrument  is  usually  attached  to  a 
gold  ring  worn  by  the  operator  on  one  of  his  fingers — the  box 
being  purposely  constructed  to  enable  him  to  see  the  sides  of  the 
cards  opposite  the  mouth.  Wheueves  he  wants  to  change  his 
stock  he  places  the  point  of  his  "gaff"  against  the  side  of  the 
second  card,  that  is,  the  one  beneath  the  top,  and  by  pushing  it 
gently  he  forces  it  and  the  top  card  through  the  mouth  of  the 
box  at  once,  when  both  are  seized  by  the  fingers  of  the  right 
hand  and  placed  upon  the  dealt  cards. 

I  have  serious  doubts  if  any  of  the  great  army  of  fools  in  this 
country,  at  least  those  among  them  who  understand  the  rudi 
ments  of  faro-playing,  would  submit  to  such  a  barefaced  robbery 
at  the  present  time;  but  when  Graves  first  invented  this  trick, 
and  for  many  years  afterwards,  sharpers  worked  it  successfully, 
and  by  it  made  untold  money. 

The  convex  strippers  were  also  played  successfully  for  many 
years,  at  games  of  single-handed  poker.  The  cards  intended  for 
this  purpose  were  all  cut  concave,  except  ten,  viz.,  the  aces  and 
kings,  with  a  queen  and  a  Jack,  which  were  cut  convex.  When 
the  sharper's  antagonist  had  shuffled  the  cards  preparatory  to  a 
deal,  and  passed  them  over  to  be  cut,  the  sharper  gave  them  one 
or  more  shuffles,  and  as  a  cut  stripped  the  convex  cards  from  the 
concave  ones,  and  placed  them  on  the  top  of  the  pack,  when 
the  hands  were  dealt  off,  he  could  tell  by  his  own  hand  whether 
his  partner  had  the  best  cards  or  not.  If  in  his  hand  he  held 
three  kings,  he  knew  his  adversary  must  hold  as  much  as  three 
aces;  and  if  he  held  two  pairs,  kings,  and  aces,  with  a  Jack,  he 
knew  he  must  have  kings,  and  aces,  and  a  queen. 

A  year  or  two  subsequent  to  the  invention  of  Graves'  "gaff" 
trick,  a  genius  named  Savage,  living  in  Virginia,  invented  a 
method  of  cheating  players  with  the  Bayley  boxes.  The  cards 


162  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

used  for  this  purpose  were  concave  and  convex  strippers,  which 
were  worked  in  the  same  manner  as  I  have  just  described.  The 
pack  of  cards  being  placed  in  the  box,  with  their  faces  upwards, 
the  fraud  was  worked  precisely  in  the  same  manner  as  that  de 
scribed,  with  the  exception  of  the  "  gaff."  This  was  done  away 
with,  and  in  its  place  the  two  cards  were  forced  from  the  box 
with  a  lever  which  rested  against  their  sides,  opposite  the  mouth 
of  the  box.  This  lever  was  hidden  beneath  the  top  covering  of 
the  box,  and  was  worked  by  a  very  small  crank.  Turning  the 
crank  in  one  direction,  it  shoved  the  lever  forward,  and  with  it 
the  two  topmost  cards  from  the  mouth  of  the  box,  when  they 
were  immediately  caught  by  the  thumb  and  fore-finger  of  the 
dealer,  and  placed  on  one  of  the  piles  of  dealt  cards.  The  crank 
was  now  turned  backwards,  and  the  lever  thereby  drawn  into  its 
natural  position.  From  the  crank  by  which  the  lever  was 
worked,  this  invention  was  christened  the  "  coffee-mill."  The 
whole  affair  was  a  clumsy  invention,  however,  and  was  soon  de 
tected.  It  was  subsequently  improved  upon  by  Graves.  The 
crank,  lever,  and  two  cards  were  discarded.  He  made  the  boxes 
less  ungainly  in  appearance,  widened  the  hole  in  the  top  of  the 
box,  and,  by  a  cunningly  devised  piece  of  machinery  placed  near 
the  opening  which  admitted  the  pack,  and  beneath  the  covering 
of  the  box,  the  top  card  was  held  back,  and  that  immediately 
beneath  it  shoved  out.  The  pack,  all  of  which  were  marked 
upon  their  backs,  were  placed  in  the  box  back  upwards,  and  the 
game  was  dealt  in  the  manner  which  was  customary  before 
the  invention  of  boxes.  When  the  operator  saw  a  card  which 
he  knew  would  win  a  large  stake  for  the  player,  he  held  it  back, 
while  his  fingers  covered  the  hole  to  hide  it  from  observation, 
and  shoved  out  that  immediately  underneath  it,  which  he  placed 
upon  the  player's  pile,  while  the  top  card  legitimately  belonging 
to  the  player  was  cast  in  favor  of  the  bank.  This  fraud  could  be 
practiced  on  every  turn  made  during  a  deal,  without  the  least 
bungling  or  danger  of  detection.  This  pattern  of  boxes,  first 
invented  by  Bayley,  from  the  time  of  Graves'  improvement  re 
ceived  the  poetical  name  of  the  "  horse  box."  It  was  one  of  the 
most  ingenious  contrivances  ever  invented  for  cheating  the  player 
at  faro.  But  the  ungainly  shape  of  the  box,  the  fact  of  its  hiding 
the  cards  from  the  player,  surrounded  it  with  suspicion,  and  it 
could  never  be  used  with  any  success  where  faro-games  were 


INVENTOKS.  1G3 

dealt  out  of  the  hand  or  with  open  boxes.  They  have  existed 
up  to  the  present  day,  but  have  not  been  used  in  faro  for  nearly 
twenty-five  years,  and  at  the  present  day  are  used  only  by  a  set 
of  sharpers,  for  dealing  a  swindling  game  known  as  "Red  and 
Black." 

The  open  boxes  (square  ones)  invented  by  Graves  became  very 
popular  with  both  dealers  and  players  throughout  the  country, 
and  within  three  years  after  their  introduction,  were  in  use  in 
every  respectable  faro -bank  in  the  United  States.  The  "gaff" 
arrangement  had  by  this  time  been  exposed  to  the  more  initiated 
among  the  gambling  fraternity,  as  were  also  the  "coffee-mill" 
and  the  "horse's  box."  Fools  might  now  and  then  be  found 
who  would  allow  themselves  to  be  fleeced  of  their  money  by  such 
coarse  tricks,  but  it  required  something  more  scientific  to  be 
brought  forward,  in  order  to  reach  the  professional  moneyed 
gamblers.  The  prolific  brain  of  Graves  in  the  year  1828  discov 
ered  what  are  known  as  roughed  cards,  and  which  have  held 
undisputed  sway  with  sharpers  over  every  other  invention  of 
the  sort,  up  to  the  present  time.  The  boxes,  prepared  to  drop 
two  of  the  roughed  cards  together,  were  precisely  similar  in 
shape  and  appearance  to  the  square  ones ;  the  top  plate,  above 
the  mouth  of  the  box,  being  made  to  raise  sufficiently  to  allow  of 
two  cards  being  forced  from  the  aperture  at  a  time.  This  was 
accomplished  by  a  lever  placed  inside  the  box  near  the  lid,  which 
was  worked  by  one  of  the  screws  that  fastened  down  the  top  of 
the  box.  It  was  placed  on  the  outside  corner  of  the  box  next  its 
opening,  and  on  the  end  next  the  dealer.  Whenever  the  manip 
ulator  desired  to  change  his  stock,  by  taking  out  two  cards  in 
the  place  of  one,  he  pressed  lightly  downward  on  the  screw  with 
his  thumb,  which  forced  the  lever  to  raise  the  lid  of  the  box  from 
its  mouth,  which,  being  enlarged,  he  pushed,  in  the  ordinary  way, 
the  top  card  with  his  finger,  but  the  card  pushed  out  drags  with 
it  the  one  immediately  underneath  it,  and  so  long  as  his  thumb 
continues  to  press  on  the  screw,  so  long  will  two  cards  pass  from 
the  box  at  once ;  but  immediately  he  ceases  to  press  on  the  screw 
the  lid  of  the  box  resumes  its  natural  position,  and  but  a  single 
card  can  escape  at  a  time.  Since  this  invention  these  two-card 
boxes  have  undergone  many  changes  and  many  improvements. 
Many  men,  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  have  at  various 
times  made  themselves  fortunes  manufacturing  these  two-card 


164  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

boxes.  Whoever  was  able  to  add  to  them  any  improvement 
could  receive  for  it  his  own  price  from  sharpers.  The  material 
in  any  of  these  two-card  boxes  scarcely  amounts  to  $25,  yet  the 
makers  have  received  for  them  from  $75  to  $300  each,  according 
to  the  fineness  of  the  workmanship.  There  was  living  hi  Peters 
burg,  Va.,  long  before  the  commencement  of  our  civil  war,  a 
drunken  old  watchmaker  who  was  skilled  hi  the  manufacture  of 
these  articles,  who  never  made  one  for  less  than  $200,  and  had 
always  on  hand  more  orders  than  he  could  possibly  fill.  But  the 
number  of  artisans  who  are  able  to  construct  these  boxes  have 
very  much  increased  since  the  war,  so  much  so  that  they  have 
fallen  greatly  in  price,  to  the  immense  satisfaction  of  the  sharp 
ers.  At  the  present  day  the  best  silver  two-card  boxes  can  be 
purchased  for  $100,  and  from  that  down  to  $30,  if  not  less,  ac 
cording  to  the  material  and  workmanship.  The  machinery  used 
at  the  present  day  in  these  cheating  boxes  is  placed  on  a  silver 
or  German  silver  plate,  and  is  fitted  against  the  side  of  the  box, 
beneath  its  mouth,  which  is  made  wide  enough  to  admit  of  the 
passage  of  two  cards  at  a  time.  But  a  small,  thin  plate,  extend 
ing  from  one  end  of  the  mouth  to  the  other,  prevents  the  egress 
of  more  than  one  card,  if  that  only  is  desired.  This  plate  is  at 
tached  to  the  machinery  hidden  between  the  side  of  the  box  and 
the  false  plate,  and  can  be  lowered  to  the  thickness  of  a  single 
card  if  the  manipulator  desires  to  change  his  stock,  by  taking  a 
brace  of  cards  from  the  box  instead  of  one.  At  the  present  time 
the  lever  which  works  the  plate  is  attached  to  one  of  the  bars  at 
the  bottom,  on  the  inside  of  the  box,  by  which  its  springs  are 
fastened.  By  pressing  with  the  finger  against  the  bar,  the  plate 
which  guards  the  mouth  of  the  box  is  lowered;  the  moment  the 
finger  is  removed  the  plate  resumes  its  natural  position,  and  the 
mouth  is  closed  against  the  egress  of  more  than  one  card  at  a 
time.  These  boxes  are  constructed  to  lock  in  various  ways ; 
that  is,  to  close  the  machinery  from  working,  and  from  the  sight 
of  the  uninitiated  ;  the  object  of  this  being  to  enable  the  box  to 
be  shown  to  any  person  doubting  its  fairness.  The  precaution  is 
superfluous,  however,  as  no  fool  capable  of  being  imposed  on  by 
a  two-card  box,  would  ever  think  of  searching  for  its  machinery, 
more  especially  as,  if  he  suspected  fraud,  he  could  detect  it  by 
examining  the  cards.  I  shall  now  return  to  the  roughed  cards 
invented  by  Mr.  Graves  for  the  use  of  his  boxes. 


INVENTORS.  165 

r~ 

HOUGHED    CARDS     OR     "STRIPPERS." 

I  am  unable  to  say  who  was  the  inventor  of  these,  but  they 
made  their  appearance  shortly  before  Graves  brought  forth  his  last 
and  most  famous  invention,  and  were  no  more  than  an  improve 
ment  on  the  concave  and  convex  cards  or  "strippers."  The 
labor  on  a  pack  of  concave  or  convex  "strippers"  was  far 
more  than  that  upon  "wedge  strippers,"  of  which  I  now  pro 
pose  to  treat.  A  pack  of  "  wedge  strippers"  are  manufactured 
by  trimming  all  the  cards  in  the  following  manner :  Each  card 
is  trimmed  lengthwise,  on  one  side,  leaving  the  corner  where  the 
shaving  away  is  commenced,  intact;  it  is  continued  more  heavily 
to  the  other  end,  which  takes  from  the  card  a  long  and  very  thin 
wedge,  and  also  makes  the  pack  slightly  that  shape.  While  re 
taining  this  position  the  cards  would  be  useless  to  the  sharper  for 
cheating  purposes.  But  turn  a  portion  of  them  so  that  the  un- 
trimmed  ends  of  this  portion  would  meet  with  the  trimmed  ends 
of  those  remaining  stationary,  and  these  respective  portions  could 
be  drawn  apart  by  taking  hold  of  the  ends  of  the  pack.  This 
operation  is  known  among  sharpers  as  "  stripping."  To  render 
the  pack  of  "  strippers  "  serviceable  we  will  suppose  that  the  pack 
has  just  been  trimmed  into  the  foregoing  shape :  It  is  now  divid 
ed  into  two  piles;  in  one  are  placed  the  kings,  queens,  Jacks,  aces, 
deuces,  trois,  and  two  sevens,  and  in  the  other  the  tens,  nines, 
eights,  sixes,  fives,  fours,  and  the  two  remaining  sevens.  The 
two  piles  are  turned  half-way  round  and  placed  one  upon  the 
other.  The  operator  takes  hold  of  the  pack,  while  shuffling  it, 
at  both  ends  near  the  corners,  and  when  he  has  mixed  it  to  his 
satisfaction,  or  that  of  his  customers,  rather,  he  "strips"  it, 
leaving  in  one  part  all  the  kings,  queens,  Jacks,  aces,  deuces, 
trois,  and  two  sevens,  and  in  the  other  the  remainder  of  the  cards. 
It  was  in  this  way  sharpers  first  used  "strippers,"  in  order  to  in 
crease  the  number  of  splits  in  their  games,  which  would  render 
the  number  five  times  greater  than  in  the  ordinary  course  of 
things,  with  a  fair  pack  of  cards,  during  a  deal.  They  were  also 
found  useful  in  another  way :  whenever  the  sharpers  found  one 
or  more  were  playing  in  the  pot,  or  betting  on  any  other  partic 
ular  cards,  these  cards  were  turned  round  from  the  rest  in  the 
pack,  and  when  "  stripped  "  and  "milked  down,"  by  cutting  the 
pack  at  one  end,  the  stocked  cards  would  all  lose,  but  after  they 


166  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

were  placed  in  the  box  the  manipulator  had  then  no  further  con 
trol  over  them ;  but  the  renowned  Graves  overcame  this  difficul 
ty,  first  by  his  invention  of  the  "  gaff,"  and  afterwards  by  his 
"  roughed  cards." 

SANDED     CARDS. 

Simple  as  roughed  cards  may  sound  to  the  reader,  when  under 
stood  they  are  by  no  means  so  simple.  They  have  been  and  are 
the  cause  of  much  grief  and  sorrrw  to  thousands  of  persons.  To 
work  a  pack  of  cards  in  a  two-card  box  according  to  the  method 
invented  by  Graves,  the  principle  of  which  is  carried  out  at  the 
present  day,  is  accomplished  in  the  following  manner.  For 
example,  we  will  take  a  pack  of  "  strippers,"  and  after  separating 
them  by  drawing  them  apart,  leave  in  one  of  the  portions  the 
king,  queen,  etc.,  as  already  described,  and  in  the  other,  the 
tens,  nines,  eights,  sixes,  fives,  fours,  and  two  sevens.  Having 
rubbed  the  faces  of  these  latter  ones  with  sand-paper,  we  will 
proceed  to  rub  the  backs  of  the  first  mentioned  portion  in  ex 
actly  the  same  manner.  We  will  now  place  them  together  and 
shuffle  them  up,  after  which  we  will  "strip"  them  and  "milk" 
them  down,  cut  them,  and  finally  place  them  in  the  dealing-box. 
We  will  suppose  the  ace  is  the  soda  card.  This  indicates  that 
all  the  kings,  queens,  aces,  deuces,  trois,  and  the  two  sevens 
will  win,  and  that  the  remaining  cards  will  lose.  As  the  latter 
denominations  are  sanded  on  their  faces,  and  the  former  on  their 
backs,  they  will  naturally  adhere ;  that  is,  the  cards  which  are 
sanded  upon  their  faces,  coming  in  contact  with  those  sanded 
upon  their  backs,  will  adhere  to  them.  Now  just  as  long  as  we 
wish  the  kings,  queens,  aces,  deuces,  trois,  and,  we  will  say,  two 
red  sevens,  to  win,  we  have  only  to  push  one  card  from  the  deal 
ing-box  at  a  time ;  but  should  we  wish  to  alter  the  stock,  we 
have  only  to  touch  the  lever  moving  the  plate  that  guards 
the  mouth  of  the  box,  and  at  the  same  time  shove  the  top  card 
from  the  box  with  the  forefinger,  and  it  will  drag  the  one  im 
mediately  beneath  it  along  with  it,  and  the  two  cards  will  leave 
the  mouth  of  the  box  as  one  only.  The  consequence  of  taking 
these  two  cards  at  one  time  is  to  alter  the  run  of  the  whole 
stock.  The  kings,  queens,  Jacks,  etc.,  will  now  all  lose,  and  the 
tens,  nines,  eights,  etc.,  will  all  win;  and  as  often  as  two  cards 
are  taken  at  once,  the  whole  programme  of  the  "stock"  will  be 


167 

changed.  Should  an  obstinate  player  persist  in  following  up  the 
run  of  the  winning  cards,  that  is,  if  he  bet  his  money  behind  the 
deuce,  ace,  etc.,  these  being  the  winning  cards,  we  should  be 
obliged  to  take  two  cards  from  the  box  at  once,  in  order  that 
we  might  win  his  bet,  and  so  on,  as  often  as  he  bet  on  winning 
cards. 

About  twenty-five  years  ago  an  improvement  was  introduced, 
to  relieve  the  dealer  from  taking  two  cards  too  often  during  a 
deal,  and  also  to  enable  him  the  more  readily  to  beat  two  or 
more  players  at  the  same  time.  This  was  accomplished  by 
placing  a  small  dot  on  the  faces  of  those  cards  whose  backs  were 
sanded.  This  dot  was  placed  on  the  margin  of  the  card  near 
the  left-hand  corner  next  the  dealer,  and  was  made  hi  such  a 
manner  that  the  operator  could  tell  whether  the  card  on  which 
it  was  placed  was  a  king,  queen  ace,  deuce,  trois,  or  seven. 
The  inside  corner  of  the  top  of  the  box  on  the  left-hand  side, 
next  the  dealer,  was  filed  away  so  that  he  could  see  the  dots ; 
and  as  the  top  card  dragged  with  it  the  one  under  it,  the  plate 
thus  doctored  enabled  the  dealer  to  see  the  dot  on  the  third  card 
below.  In  this  way  he  could  tell  before  he  made  his  last  turn 
which  was  the  winning  cord.  By  this  cunning  device  a  player, 
we  will  say,  has  $100  bet  on  the  ace  and  the  same  on  the  ten. 
According  to  the  stock  the  ace  must  win,  and  the  ten  lose.  The 
manipulator  makes  his  turns  regularly,  knowing  the  ten  will  lose 
before  the  dot  on  the  card  below  informs  him  that  the  ace  will 
win,  on  the  turn.  Should  the  latter  prove  to  be  the  case,  he 
pushes  two  cards  through  the  mouth  of  the  box,  which  makes  the 
ace  lose  on  the  turn.  If  the  ten  does  not  win  on  the  same  turn 
on  which  the  ace  has  lost,  on  the  next  turn  he  pushes  two  cards 
more  from  the  box,  again  placing  the  ten  a  loser.  Strippers  in 
various  shapes  have  held  their  own  up  to  the  present  time.  It 
was  natural  that  in  the  course  of  time  these  frauds  should  be 
exposed  to  the  farther  advanced  of  the  gamblers,  and  such  was 
the  case,  arid  it  required  some  new  invention  in  the  line  of  fraud 
to  cheat  them.  Upon  this  class,  stripping  cards  and  milking 
them  were  worn  out ;  and  though  such  tricks  might  still  answer 
for  the  verdant,  some  new  scheme  had  to  be  elaborated  to  baffle 
the  already  awakened  vigilance  of  professional  gamblers.  This 
was  accomplished  in  the  year  1835,  when  a  new  invention  was 
set  afloat,  known  among  gamblers  under  the  name  of 


168  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

"BOUNDS " 

I  am  unable  to  say  by  whom  these-  were  invented.  The  credit 
is  generally  awarded  to  a  genius  living  in  Nashville,  Term.,  by 
the  name  of  John  Powers.  A  pack  of  rounds  were  manufactured 
as  follows :  the  kings,  queens,  aces,  deuces,  trois,  and*  red  sevens 
were  taken  from  the  pack,  and  the  tens,  nines,  eights,  sixes, 
fives,  fours,  and  black  sevens  were  trimmed  in  this  way:  On 
one  of  their  sides,  near  the  corners,  a  slice  about  the  width  of  the 
thickness  of  two  cards  was  trimmed  off,  while  the  middle  was 
left  untouched ;  this  gave  them  a  slightly  oval  shape ;  each  of 
these  cards  were  sanded  on  their  faces,  and  those  of  the  other 
portion  on  their  backs.  When  the  trimmed  and  untrimined 
cards  were  placed  together,  the  pack  on  one  side  had  a  serrated 
appearance,  especially  near  its  corners,  while  on  the  other  side 
the  natural  shape  was  preserved.  The  reader  can  now  easily 
understand  how,  by  separating  the  trimmed  from  the  un- 
trimmed  cards,  and  "milking  them  down,"  the  whole  pack  was 
completely  stocked.  The  dealer,  while  shuffling  a  pack  of 
"rounds,"  kept  the  serrated  or  trimmed  side  next  him,  and  held 
the  pack  near  the  corners  with  his  thumbs  resting  on  the  trim 
med  part,  and  on  the  sides  of  those  which  were  untrimmed. 
The  trimmed  cards  held  their  natural  position  during  the  shuffle, 
the  thumbs  being  unable  to  touch  them  ;  the  sand  on  the  faces 
of  the  trimmed  ones  meeting  the  roughed  backs  of  the  untrimmed 
ones,  they  were  held  firmly  in  their  places,  so  that  a  practical 
shuffler  could  shuffle  a  pack  of  rounds  for  more  than  a  minute, 
with  seeming  fairness,  without  in  any  manner  disarranging  his 
stock.  The  shuffling  of  a  pack  of  these  cards  has  a  very  differ 
ent  sound  from  that  of  a  fair  pack — it  falls  roughly  on  the  ear;  so 
much  so,  that,  in  many  cases,  it  has  led  to  their  detection. 
Rounds  and  strippers  of  all  descriptions  have  had  their  stocks 
arranged  in  different  ways.  When  the  cards  are  placed  in  op 
position  as  follows:  tens,  nines,  eights,  sixes,  fives,  fours,  and 
two  sevens  against  the  kings,  queens,  Jacks,  aces,  deuces,  trois, 
and  two  sevens,  they  are  termed  "one  end  against  the  other." 
When  they  are  placed  in  opposition  as  kings,  queens,  aces, 
deuces,  sixes,  eights,  and  two  red  sevens,  against  the  Jacks, 
tens,  nines,  fives,  fours,  trois,  and  two  black  sevens,  they  are 
termed  "both  ends  against  the  middle."  When  all  the  odd 


INVESTORS.  169 

cards  are  placed  in  opposition  to  all  the  even  cards,  they  are 
termed  "odds  and  evens."  Cheating  packs  have  been  arranged 
in  many  different  ways,  but  the  three  combinations  given  above 
are  those  which  have  been  most  commonly  in  use  since  "strip 
pers"  and  "rounds"  were  invented.  These  variations  were 
made  to  prevent  players  from  noticing  the  cards  running  one 
way.  When  rounds  were  first  invented,  they  were  not  intended 
to  strip,  nor  was  it  meant  that  they  should  be  separated  and 
milked  down  in  the  presence  of  players.  Such  work  would  not 
for  a  moment  stand  the  test  with  gamblers.  Consequently  the 
manipulators  carried  with  them  in  their  card-boxes,  ready 
stocked,  from  one  to  three  dozen  packs  of  cards.  In  the  first 
deal  the  players  were  robbed,  and  in  every  subsequent  one, 
when  a  fresh  pack  was  brought  into  play. 

When  rounds  were  played  out  on  gamblers,  but  not  until  they 
had  been  robbed,  from  Maine  to  Texas,  with  them,  the  sharp 
ers  made  strippers  of  their  cards,  that  one  pack  of  them  might 
be  serviceable  every  deal.  One  half  the  pack  were  trimmed  on 
both  sides  near  the  corners,  and  the  other  half  were  made  con-- 
cave  at  the  middle,  which  made  the  pack  both  strippers  and 
rounds.  These  were  christened  by  the  sharpers,  "snow-outs." 
The  frequent  scorchings  which  gamblers  received  from  these 
gentry  made  them  suspicious  of  all  faro-dealers.  They  imagined 
that  if,  before  shuffling,  the  cards  were  snowed  out,  that  is,  scat 
tered  over  the  table,  it  would  be  a  safeguard  against  fraud.  To 
meet  this-  fallacy,  rounds  and  strippers  were  brought  into  play 
combined.  A  skillful  manipulator  would  shuffle  them  for  several 
minutes,  then  strip  them  with  a  quick,  easy  motion,  as  if  he  were 
dividing  the  pack  with  both  hands  to  shuffle  in  again.  But  no 
sooner  had  he  stripped  the  pack,  than  he  held  it  up  by  the  sides 
between  the  thumb  and  fingers  of  his  left  hand,  while  with  his 
right  he  drew  a  card  from  top  and  bottom,  simultaneously.  In 
this  manner,  with  a  rapid  motion,  he  would  toss  the  cards  all 
over  the  table,  and  then  arrange  them  in  their  natural  shape ; 
that  is,  the  shape  it  was  intended  they  should  come  in.  While 
scattering  the  cards,  he  would  throw  those  sanded  upon  their 
faces  upon  those  roughened  upon  their  backs ;  they  would  of 
course  adhere,  and  in  this  fashion  the  whole  pack  was  complete 
ly  stocked.  To  give  the  matter  an  additional  appearance  of 
fairness,  he  now  gathers  up  his  cards,  arranges  them  into  the 


170  WANDERINGS  OF  A   VAGABOND. 

pack,  and  shuffles  them  for  several  seconds  by  the  trimmed 
edges,  without  disturbing,  in  the  least,  his  stock,  puts  his  cards 
into'  the  dealing-box,  and  is  ready  to  take  two  cards  from  it  any 
time  it  suits  him  to  do  so  during  the  deal.  For  more  than  a  year 
this  game  was  played  on  the  shrewdest  gamblers  ~bef ore  it  was 
exposed,  and  even  up  to  the  present  time  "snow-outs"  have 
been  the  main  dependence  of  scores  of  sharpers  who  use  them  in 
all  their  "skinning  games"  at  faro.  But  they  no  longer  "milk 
down,"  or  "snow  out"  their  cards  as  formerly.  That  method 
was  abandoned  some  tw'euty-five  years  ago,  for  a  more  artful 
improvement.  The  manipulator  now  shuffles  his  foul  cards  care 
fully  at  the  start,  then  rapidly  strips  them  apart,  holding  in 
each  hand  one-half  of  the  pack ;  the  ends  of  these  he  places  to 
gether,  then  shoves  the  cards  between  each  other,  placing  each 
card  of  the  different  combinations  alternately  together,  as  cor 
rectly  as  if  the  pack  had  been  carefully  "milked  down."  This 
scientific  feat  is  called  by  sharpers  the  "butt-in  shuffle,"  and  can 
be  accomplished  only  after  much  practice.  The  first  rounds  in 
troduced,  those  not  intended  to  strip,  were  played  for  upwards  of 
three  years  on  some  of  the  most  expert  faro-players  in  the  coun 
try  before  they  were  detected.  Their  detection  was  the  primal 
cause,  or  one  of  the  causes,  which  forced  illiberal  faro-bankers 
to  allow  the  keeping  of  cases  at  their  games.  It  was  upon 
these  rounds  which  Mr.  Cotton  exercised  his  dexterity  on  the 
Major  and  myself,  in  Washington.  Had  I  been  at  the  time  ac 
quainted  with  roughed  cards,  he  could  not  have  played  the 
second  deal  upon  us  after  my  suspicions  were  aroused.  When 
once  shown  the  nature  of  roughed  cards,  they  are  easily  detected. 
By  holding  a  card  to  the  light,  in  such  a  manner  that  its  glare 
may  fall  on  its  surface,  should  it  be  rubbed  with  sand-paper, 
soiled  with  acid,  or  in  any  manner  blotched,  it  can  be  easily  seen. 
Strippers  and  rounds  of  every  description  now  became  worth 
less  for  robbing  gamblers  out  of  their  money  any  farther.  They 
had  now  learned  to  suspect  all  faro-dealers,  and  one  of  them 
could  not  make  a  deal  with  a  pack  of  cards  till  some  of  the 
players  had  carefully  examined  it  to  see  that  it  was  not  trimmed 
for  purpose  of  fraud.  Skillful  sharpers,  however,  overcame  this 
difficulty.  They  brought  a  new  fraud  to  bear  upon  their  play 
ers,  which  they  named  "squared  sights."  This  took  place  in 
1848.  The  cards  were  perfectly  squared,  so  as  to  stand  the  test 


INVENTORS.  171 

of  the  closest  examination;  for  example,  we  will  say  the  following 
cards,  kings,  queens,  aces,  and  deuces,  are  sanded  upon  their 
backs,  and  all  the  other  cards  in  the  pack  are  sanded  upon  their 
faces ;  the  cards  sanded  upon  their  backs  are  dotted  after  the 
same  manner  I  have  before  described  the  rounds  to  be,  and  are 
intended  to  work  in  a  two-card  dealing-box,  in  precisely  the 
same  manner.  The  pack  being  examined  and  pronounced  sat 
isfactory,  the  dealer  puts  it,  after  shuffling  it  fairly  and  squarely, 
into  the  dealing-box.  There  has  been  no  stripping  and  stack 
ing,  consequently,  why  should  not  everything  be  fair  and 
square  ?  But  it  is  not.  It  is  all  a  fraud.  I  have  stated  that 
the  kings,  queens,  aces,  and  deuces  were  sanded  on  their  backs, 
and  dotted  on  their  faces  near  the  margin  of  their  sides.  When 
ever  a  turn  is  made,  and  one  of  these  cards  remains  in  the  box, 
that  is,  has  won  on  the  turn,  and  a  card  sanded  on  its  face  lies 
next  to  it,  it  drags  it  forward  against  the  plate  in  the  mouth  of 
the  box,  providing  the  third  card  is  also  sanded  upon  its  back. 
In  that  case  the  dealer  can  tell  by  the  dot  upon  it  what  that 
card  is.  Should  it  be  loaded  with  money,  he  immediately 
pushes  two  cards  from  the  box,  in  order  that  this  third  card  may 
fall  for  the  bank  on  the  turn,  and  keeps  on  doing  so  on  the  oc 
currence  of  every  similar  circumstance  during  the  deal.  The 
introduction  of  cue-boxes  rendered  this  trick  harmless,  and  pre 
vented  it  from  being  played  on  any  but  fools,  and  at  the  present 
day  it  is  not  practiced  by  sharpers. 

When  case-keeping  was  introduced,  the  old  tricks  practiced 
upon  faro-players  by  sharpers  became  useless,  except  in  the  case 
of  the  most  verdant  fools;  but  the  same  introduction  enabled 
the  noble  army  of  the  Chevaliers  d'Industrie  to  concoct  a  new 
scheme  for  robbing  those  who  staked  their  money  on  that  game. 
The  bankers  were  as  yet  too  benighted  to  adopt  the  copper 
game,  and  the  players  against  their  bank  were  either  compelled 
to  bet  that  case-cards  would  win,  or  run  the  risk  of  having  their 
money  split  on  double  cards.  The  invention  now  brought  on 
the  tapis  was  what  the  sharpers  termed  "  tie-ups."  "  Tie-ups  " 
were  sometimes  as  many  as  nine  cards,  stocked  so  as  to  make 
the  last  four  cases  in  the  box  lose.  These  nine  cards  were  each 
pierced  near  the  corners  with  a  very  fine  needle.  Through  these 
holes  was  passed  a  fine  hair,  and  tied.  In  the  hands  of  a  prac 
ticed  operator,  these  cards  were  shuffled  with  every  appearance 


172  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

of  fairness;  so  much  so,  that  for  about  five  years  they  were  piayed 
ou  the  most  astute  gamesters  in  the  country.  When  the  operator 
had  managed  his  shuffle,  he  cut  off  the  pack  above  the  tied-up 
cards,  which  placed  them  at  the  bottom.  While  placing  the 
cards  in  the  dealing-box,  he  cut  the  hair  on  the  sharp  edge  of 
the  plate  inside  the  box,  which  was  sharpened  for  that  purpose. 
He  had  now  four  case-cards  to  lose  on  the  last  four  turns  of  the 
deal,  and  it  is  upon  these  turns  that  gamblers  generally  play  then' 
heaviest  bets  during  a  deal.  Therefore  one  may  easily  see  how 
beneficial  was  this  artful  trick  to  the  pockets  of  the  sharpers. 
The  introduction  of  copper-betting-  at  faro  destroyed  for  these 
gentry  all  use  of  their  "tie-ups."  Their  inventions  are,  however, 
swifter  than  the  detection  of  their  frauds. 

One  would  imagine  that,  after  the  introduction  of  case-boards, 
cue-papers,  and  copper-betting,  the  votaries  of  faro  would  have 
been  free  from  any  further  frauds  being  practiced  upon  them  at 
their  game.  Every  card  coming  from  the  dealing-box  was  duly 
scored,  and  if  fifty-two  cards  left  the  box,  all  must  be  on  the 
square.  Cards,  preparatory  to  having  a  deal  made  with  them, 
could  be  taken  from  the  box  when  desired,  and  examined,  and  if 
found  perfectly  square  upon  their  sides  and  ends,  and  not  sanded 
or  roughed,  how  was  it  possible  to  cheat  with  them  ?  A  genius 
from  Nashville  completely  knocked  this  argument  out  of  the 
ring,  by  the  invention  known  as  the  "  odd  card."  This  new  de 
vice,  which  made  its  appearance  about  the  year  1850,  has  last 
ed  up  to  the  present  time,  and  has  been  successfully  played  on 
many  of  the  gambling  community,  who  no  doubt  imagined  that 
the  idea  of  any  one  cheating  them  at  faro  was  beyond  the  range 
of  probability. 

The  "  odd  card"  is  the  introduction  of  an  extra  card  into  the 
pack ;  for  example,  we  will  say  that  the  extra  card  is  the  deuce 
of  spades.  It  and  the  deuce  of  spades  belonging  to  the  pack 
are  roughed  upon  their  faces  with  sand-paper,  no  other  cards  in 
the  pack  being  so  roughed  but  them,  all  the  others  being  rough 
ed  upon  their  backs  with  sand-paper.  The  two  deuces  of  spades 
are  marked  upon  their  backs,  in  order  that  they  may  be  easily 
discovered  in  the  shuffle.  Their  backs  are  also  polished  with 
hard  spermaceti.  This  is  done  in  order  that  the  cards  may 
glide  easily  off  them  whenever  the  pack  is  divided  into  two  por 
tions  for  the  purpose  of  shuffling.  The  smooth  faces  of  the  other 


INVESTORS.  173 

cards  glide  easily  off  their  polished  backs,  while  the  sand  upon 
their  faces  causes  them  to  adhere  to  the  sanded  backs  of  the 
rest  of  the  pack,  and  keeps  them  in  a  firm  position,  so  that  the 
operator,  whenever  he  divides  the  pack  for  the  purpose  of  shuf 
fling,  finds  one  of  the  deuces  of  spades  to  be  the  top  card  of 
that  portion  of  the  pack  which  he  holds  in  his  right  hand.  Be 
fore  he  commences  building  his  stock,  he  notices  the  card  upon 
which  he  builds,  which  is  always  the  card  lying  on  the  top  of  the 
pack.  We  will  say,  for  instance,  that  his  build  is  the  king  of 
hearts.  On  this  card,  while  shuffling  them  together,  he  places  the 
deuce  of  spades.  He  then  cuts  the  pack  apart,  and  shuffles  a 
card  on  the  first  deuce  of  spades,  and  then  glides  the  pack  apart 
to  find  the  second  deuce.  Should  he  miss  it  he  shuffles  under 
neath  his  stock,  and  keeps  on  so  doing  till  he  finds  the  second 
deuce  of  spades,  which  he  shuffles  on  the  top  of  the  stock,  and 
also  a  card  upon  it,  which  completes  the  stock.  Sometimes  the 
pack  is  cut  by  a  false  shuffle  before  placing  it  in  the  dealing-box; 
but  more  often  by  a  "brief  card."  The  deal  is  now  commenced. 
Every  card  which  comes  from  the  box  is  duly  scored  by  the 
case-keeper,  and  also  on  the  cue-papers.  The  entire  deal  is  con 
ducted  fairly  until  it  comes  down  to  the  last  turn.  On  the  pre 
vious  turn,  the  king  of  hearts,  the  build  card,  has  won,  as  it  must 
always  do  on  the  five-card  turn,  and  its  appearance  warns  the 
dealer  that  his  work  is  now  before  him.  For  example,  a  deuce, 
six,  and  four,  is  marked  on  the  case-board,  as  the  cards  remain 
ing  in  the  dealing-box.  According  to  his  stock  he  can  make 
one  of  the  deuces  win  or  lose  on  the  turn  as  he  pleases.  Should 
it  be  for  his  interest  for  it  to  lose,  he  makes  the  turn  fairly,  and 
it  loses.  But  if  it  be  for  his  interest  that  it  should  win,  he  shoves 
from  the  box  at  once  two  cards;  underneath  the  king  of  hearts  is 
buried  the  first  deuce  of  spades,  the  next  being  either  a  six  or  a 
four,  and  the  losing  card.  If  he  makes  the  first  deuce  lose,  in 
order  to  make  his  cards  come  out  right,  and  to  hide  the  second 
deuce  of  spades,  he  presses  upon  the  lever,  and  shoves  two  cards 
from  the  box,  the  underneath  one  being  the  second  deuce ;  after 
it  comes  the  "  hockelty  "  card,  which  ends  the  deal,  which,  as  far 
as  fairness  is  concerned,  gives  general  satisfaction  to  the  players. 
If  he  makes  it  win,  and  turns  out  the  king  of  hearts  with  the  first 
deuce  lying  perdu  beneath  it,  the  next  card  will  be  either  a  six  or 
a  four,  and  the  losing  card,  and  the  one  following  that  is  the 
deuce  of  spades,  the  winning  card,  which  remains  in  the  box. 


174  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

The  commanding  of  a  single  turn  on  a  deal  may  seem  at  first 
sight  a  very  insignificant  advantage,  and  it  is  so  when  compared 
with  exercising  a  pack  of  rounds  upon  a  party  of  gamblers. 
The  "odd  card"  is  never  brought  into  service,  except  upon  such 
players  as  will  not  stand  rounds  or  strippers  of  any  kind,  and 
who  are  likely  to  score  the  cards  carefully  as  they  come  from  the 
dealing-box  during  the  deal,  and  who  would  immediately  cry 
"foul  play"  were  the  pack  to  come  out  short  at  the  end  of  the 
deal.  Moreover,  players  of  this  description  play  high,  and  make 
their  heaviest  bets  on  the  last  turn,  which  circumstance  gives  to 
the  sharper  a  very  decided  advantage.  Though  the  trick  called 
the  "odd  card"  has  been  in  existence  twenty  odd  years,  it  is 
still  extensively  played  by  sharpers.  Many  faro-players,  being 
warned  of  the  trick,  have  tried  to  protect  themselves  by  counting 
the  cards  before  playing  against  them,  but  such  suspicious  in 
dividuals  are  frequently  outwitted  by  the  sharper  in  the  follow 
ing  manner.  He  hides  under  the  lay-out  next  to  his  shuffling 
board  an  extra  deuce  of  spades,  and  whenever  a  customer  comes 
along,  of  whom  he  has  doubts,  or  who  has  been  in  the  habit  of 
counting  the  pack  before  playing  against  it,  he  hands  him  over 
a  pack  of  cards  for  examination.  Should  his  customer  decline, 
he  draws  out  the  secreted  card  and  puts  it  into  the  pack  and 
goes  on  with  his  work;  but  if  his  customer  counts  over  the  pack, 
he  takes  it,  shuffles  it  up,  and  makes  one  or  two  deals  on  the 
square,  after  which,  having  gained  the  confidence  of  his  man, 
he  draws  forth  his  secreted  card  and  goes  to  work  on  him. 

Nothing  in  the  line  of  card-sharping  is  so  difficult  as  playing 
the  odd  card,  and  it  will  not  answer  for  a  bungler  to  attempt  it 
upon  any  except  the  most  verdant  fools.  It  requires  long  prac 
tice  and  great  patience  to  be  a  skillful  manipulator  of  this 
branch  of  the  business.  Sharpers  who  have  attained  the  highest 
degree  of  excellence  in  this  respect  have  in  the  end  been  fre 
quently  detected  in  playing  it  upon  their  customers. 

To  make  the  cheat  stronger,  two  odd  cards  have  been  intro 
duced  into  the  pack  by  some  sharpers,  which  they  call  "fifty- 
four."  But  the  work  required  to  stock  and  manage  two  extra 
cards  in  a  pack  is  rather  of  a  bungling  order,  and  it  is  seldom 
played  except  in  aristocratic  skinning-houses,  where  it  is  gener 
ally  resorted  to  when  the  customers  insist  upon  keeping  the 
cases  with  cue-papers. 


INVENTORS.  175 

Sharpers  did  not  entirely  confine  themselves  to  frauds  for  the 
purpose  of  robbing  faro-players;  faro-bankers  were  also  objects 
of  solicitude  to  them.  As  early  as  1836,  a  Tennesseean  named 
Miller  invented  an  artful  trick  for  "snaking"  faro-boxes,  as  it  is 
called  in  the  sharper's  parlance.  This  invention  was  called 

"THE   TONGUE-TELL." 

Although  at  the  present  time  this  trick  is  not  used  by  sharp 
ers,  nor  has  been  for  twenty  years,  yet  for  some  years  after  it 
made  its  appearance  it  was  successfully  played  upon  faro-bank 
ers  throughout  the  country  wherever  faro-playing  had  taken  a 
hold.  The  tongue-tell  was  made  by  inserting  a  false  plate  in 
side  the  dealing-box  and  underneath  its  mouth.  Fastened  to 
this  was  a  piece  of  fine  watch-spring,  which  ran  lengthwise  be 
tween  the  false  plate  and  the  side  of  the  box,  and  came  out  in  a 
fine  polished  steel  point  under  the  screw  on  the  right-hand  side 
of  the  box  facing  the  player. 

Fastened  to  this  watch-spring  was  a  pivot  about  the  thickness 
of  an  ordinary  sewing-needle  and  about  the  eighth  of  an  inch  in 
length.  This  pivot  penetrated  the  false  plate  through  a  hole 
drilled  for  the  purpose,  and  the  point  extended  just  sufficiently 
to  rub  against  the  fourth  card  from  the  top  in  the  dealing-box. 
To  make  a  pack  of  cards  work  in  this  box,  it  was  necessary  to 
trim  them  all  on  their  sides  with  a  concave  plate,  except  the 
"tell"  cards.  For  example,  we  will  say  that  the  "tell"  cards 
are  the  queens  and  deuces;  these  are  not  trimmed  or  otherwise 
tampered  with,  except  to  harden  their  edges  by  rubbing  them 
with  a  piece  of  fine  linen.  The  concave  cards  in  dealing  could 
not  touch  the  pivot,  as  they  gradually  rose  up  alongside  of  the 
false  plate  while  the  deal  was  progressing;  but  the  "tell"  cards 
would,  and  whenever  one  of  these  rubbed  against  the  pivot,  it 
shoved  back  the  watch-spring,  which  shoved  out  the  "tongue- 
tell"  underneath  the  screw  of  the  box.  As  soon  as  the  "tell" 
card  passed  above  the  point  of  the  pivot,  the  "  tongue-tell "  went 
back  again  under  the  screw.  Whenever  the  "tongue-tell"  stood 
out  beneath  the  screw,  it  informed  the  person  playing  it,  that 
either  a  queen  or  a  deuce  would  win  on  "the  second  turn. 

A  French  watchmaker  living  in  Natchez,  by  the  name  of 
Louis  David,  manufactured  "tongue-tell"  boxes  for  more  than 


176  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

ten  years,  in  which  time  he  made  a  handsome  fortune.  At  first 
he  charged  for  a  silver  box,  the  material  of  which  did  not  cost 
$25,  $175,  and  for  a  German  silver,  $125;  but  in  the  course  of 
a  few  years  he  lowered  his  price  to  $125  each  for  silver,  and 
$75  for  those  of  German  silver.  His  boxes  had  attained  such  a 
celebrity  for  the  superiority  and  fineness  of  their  workmanship, 
that  he  was  patronized  by  sharpers  from  one  end  of  the  country 
to  the  other. 

Between  the  years  1837  and  1852,  every  faro-sharper  in  the 
country  carried  with  him  a  "tongue -tell"  box,  and  half  a  dozen 
or  so  packs  of  "tell"  cards.  This  kit  he  would  ring  in  upon 
verdant  gamblers  who  were  anxious  to  open  a  snap  at  faro,  or  if 
any  of  these  took  stock  with  him  in  a  faro-bank,  it  is  needless  to 
say  he  had  a  "pal"  on  the  outside  to  break  it. 

In  those  days,  dealing-cards  were  not  squared  so  smoothly  on 
the  sides  and  ends  as  at  the  present  day,  but  on  the  contrary 
were  sold  by  the  manufacturers  in  a  rough  and  uneven  state, 
which  greatly  favored  the  fraud  of  "tell"  cards  from  being  de 
tected.  When  squared  cards  became  popular  with  dealers,  it 
destroyed  the  efficiency  of  the  "tongue-tell,"  which  was  short 
ly  afterwards  abandoned  by  sharpers  as  an  article  "played  out." 

"THE  SAND-TELL," 

at  the  present  day,  answers  the  sharper's  purpose  for  ridding 
green  faro-bankers  of  their  superfluous  cash.  Although  pre 
viously,  the  value  of  sand-paper  was  well-known  to  the  sharper, 
this  cunning  device  was  not  discovered  until  1842.  The  name  of 
the  person  who  did  so  cannot  be  handed  down  to  grateful  gen 
erations  of  these  gentry,  being  unknown.  Any  person  possessing 
a  spark  of  mechanical  genius,  who  has  once  seen  a  "sand-tell," 
could  "snake"  a  set  of  faro-tools.  Cards  won't  travel  in  a 
"square"  box;  that  is,  the  top  card  on  leaving  the  box  will  not 
drag  forward  the  one  immediately  beneath  it,  because  it  is  kept 
firmly  in  its  place  by  the  edge  resting  against  the  side  of  the 
box  just  below  its  mouth.  By  fastening  a  false  plate  on  the  in 
side,  similar  to  those  used  in  the  two-card  boxes,  not  allowing  it 
to  reach  the  mouth  by  just  the  thickness  of  a  single  card,  it 
makes  a  groove  into  which  the  second  card  is  dragged  as  the 
first  leaves  the  box  in  the  turn.  Whatever  may  be  the  thickness 


INVENTORS.  177 

of  the  false  plate,  say  the  eighth  of  an  inch,  just  that  space  will 
the  second  card  be  dragged,  till  its  edge  comes  in  contact  with 
the  mouth  of  the  box.  Such  an  extent  of  space,  or  even  the 
sixteenth  of  an  inch,  would  almost  certainly  lead  to  detection, 
consequently  the  false  plate  is  seldom  made  thicker  than  about 
thrice  the  thickness  of  an  ordinary  playing-card.  If  the  groove 
between  the  edge  of  the  false  plate  and  the  mouth  of  the  box  is 
large  enough  to  admit  two  cards,  or  if  too  small  to  admit  one, 
the  "tell"  will  not  work;  therefore  the  groove  must  be  precisely 
as  large  and  no  larger  than  to  admit  one  card  at  a  time  to  enter. 
When  a  plate  of  this  kind  is  placed  in  a  "square"  box,  a  fair 
pack  of  cards  will  travel  in  it,  or,  in  other  words,  the  top  card, 
while  the  dealer  is  making  his  turn,  will  drag  the  one  imme 
diately  underneath  it  forward  towards  the  mouth  of  the  box,  just 
a  distance  corresponding  with  the  thickness  of  this  false  plate. 
The  box  being  prepared,  it  is  now  necessary  to  fix  the  cards  to 
make  them  "tell"  in  it,  which  is  accomplished  as  follows.  "We 
will  select,  from  the  pack,  for  exam  pie,  all  the  deuces,  aces,  and 
trois;  these  we  will  touch  lightly  on  their  faces  with  sand-paper, 
not  molesting  any  of  the  other  cards  of  the  pack.  We  will  now 
shuffle  up  the  pack,  and  put  it  in  the  dealing-box.  Whenever 
we  make  a  turn,  we  can  see  that  the  top  card,  as  it  is  shoved 
from  the  box,  drags  after  it  one  of  the  others  as  far  as  the  mouth, 
unless  it  is  one  of  those  we  have  sanded  on  their  faces.  The 
sanded  faces  of  the  aces,  deuces,  and  trois,  hold  the  cards  on  the 
top  of  them  steady,  so  the  manipulator,  when  he  sees  the  top  card 
stand  firm,  knows  by  that  sign  that  a  trois,  deuce,  or  ace  lies  im 
mediately  beneath  it,  and  as  long  as  he  can  see  that  the  top 
card  has  moved  in  the  smallest  degree,  or  traveled  towards  the 
mouth  of  the  box,  he  can  bet  behind  those  three  cards  without 
fear  of  losing. 

It  requires  much  practice  and  a  quick  eye  to  work  a  "  sand- 
tell  "well  when  the  work  upon  the  box  and  cards  is  done  finely. 
Sharpers  at  this  fraud  have  frequently  been  detected,  either  from 
the  coarseness  of  the  workmanship  on  the  tools,  or  because  their 
avarice  spurred  them  on  to  win  all  the  money  they  could,  for 
fear  the  cheat  would  be  detected.  A  shrewd  sharper  never  bets 
on  any  of  the  "  snaked  "  cards  until  they  become  cases ;  he  plays 
away  from  them,  and  is  careful  to  make  no  unnatural  bets, 
which  might  draw  upon  him  the  suspicions  of  the  bankers  or  by- 


178  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

slanders.  If  he  can  win  four  or  five  bets  on  a  deal,  at  the  most, 
he  is  satisfied,  and  in  this  manner  plays  along  slowly  till  he 
breaks  the  bank. 

The  faro-dealers  in  this  country  who  will  stand  the  "  sand- tell " 
may  be  numbered  by  hundreds ;  but  they  have  protected  them 
selves  from  this  and  other  frauds  by  keeping  their  tools  in  strong 
safes.  At  the  present  day  there  are  few  bankers  who  do  not  use 
a  safe  to  protect  themselves  from  the  artful  dodges  of  these 
worthies. 

The  stealing  of  a  set  of  faro-tools,  in  order  to  "snake"  them, 
first  led  to  the  detection  of  "  tie-ups."  The  affair  took  place  at 
Columbus,  Georgia,  where  a  couple  of  itinerant  sharpers  dropped 
in  with  a  card-box  full  of  "  tie-ups."  Columbus  was  at  that  time 
a  lively  place,  and  at  that  time  contained  as  hard  a  set  of  cases 
in  the  gambling  line  as  could  be  found  among  the  whole  fraterni 
ty.  They  were  all  "high  rollers"  against  faro,  had  plenty  of 
money,  and,  if  the  cards  came  favorably,  would  "chaw  up"  a 
bank  in  double-quick  time.  On  this  party  our  "  tie-up  "  sharp 
ers  commenced  their  labors,  and  in  three  nights  succeeded  in  de 
pleting  them  to  the  amount  of  about  $4,000.  One  of  the  Colum 
bians  was  versed  in  the  scientific  principles  of  the  "  sand-tell," 
which  had  been  discovered  a  short  while  before ;  consequently 
he  held  a  consultation  with  several  companions,  when,  after  a 
stormy  debate,  it  was  unanimously  voted  that  the  two  strangers 
were  "suckers,  "  and  ought  to  be  "  goosed."  The  two  "tie-up" 
sharps  opened  their  game  every  evening  in  the  back  room  of  a 
coffee-house,  which  was  fitted  up  for  that  purpose  especially. 
After  they  had  closed  their  game  they  took  their  tools  with  them 
to  their  room  in  the  hotel,  hi  order  to  arrange  their  disorganized 
"  tie-ups  "  to  have  sufficient  for  the  next  night.  The  fact  of  the 
faro-tools  being  left  in  their  rooms  during  the  day  came  to  the 
knowledge  of  some  of  the  Columbians.  Two  of  them  were  dele 
gated  to  entertain  the  two  strangers,  by  showing  them  the  most 
beautiful  parts  of  the  city,  while  the  others  stole  the  tools  from 
their  room  and  "  snaked  '•'  them.  The  first  part  of  the  programme 
being  duly  accomplished,  the  other  delegates  took  the  kit  of 
tools  into  another  room  in  the  hotel,  where  it  was  opened  by 
means  of  false  keys.  When  the  contents  of  the  card-box  were  ex 
posed  to  the  vulgar  gaze  of  the  "  snakers  '*  it  created  no  little 
astonishment.  For  the  first  time  they  learned  the  virtue  of  "tie- 


INVENTORS.  179 

ups,"  and  how  they  had  been  swindled  out  of  their  money  during 
the  last  few  days.  The  knowledge  added  a  desire  for  revenge  to 
their  cupidity ;  a  false  plate  was  put  into  the  box,  the  "  tied-up  " 
stocks  were  not  molested,  but  certain  cards  in  each  pack  were 
sanded,  after  which  the  tools  were  carefully  returned  to  the  place 
where  they  were  found,  everything  being  restored  to  the  same 
position  as  before  they  were  molested.  The  sharpers  were  well 
acquainted  with  the  mysteries  of  a  "  sand-tell,"  but  so  deeply 
immersed  were  they  in  their  own  "  little  game,"  that  they  did  not 
even  suspect  any  one  there  of  any  designs  on  them,  and  fell  vic 
tims  to  their  cupidity  and  excessive  confidence.  The  Georgians 
performed  their  part  well.  The  fact  of  finding  the  "tie-ups" 
convinced  them  that  they  had  under-estimated  the  talents  of  the 
two  strangers ;  that  they  were  not  quite  such  "  suckers  "  as  they 
had  supposed,  and,  therefore,  it  might  be  prudent  to  act  rather 
cautiously  with  them.  Accordingly  they  played  along  warily,  but 
heavily,  making  no  unnatural  bets,  all  playing  together,  in  order 
to  win  what  they  could  before  the  cards  came  down  to  the  "  tied- 
up  stock,"  not  refusing  to  avert  suspicion  by  throwing  away  a 
portion  of  their  gains  on  the  "  stocked"  cases.  This  they  could 
afford  to  do,  as  the  sharpers  made  at  least  two  deals  with  each 
pack  before  changing  it  for  a  fresh  one.  When  the  sharpers  had 
expended  what  " tie-ups"  they  had,  they  closed  their  game — 
losers  by  about  $8,000 — and  retired  to  their  sleeping-rooqj  for 
the  night.  When  they  commenced  arranging  their  "tie-ups" 
for  another  sitting,  they  found,  to  their  mortification,  not  only 
that  their  trick  had  been  discovered,  but,  also,  that  their  tools 
had  been  "  snaked."  Not  having  sufficient  nerve  to  meet  the 
jeers  of  the  Columbians,  they  took  the  stage  early  in  the  morning 
for  Montgomery. 


180  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

CHAPTER    XVI 

INCTJBI. 

It  is  a  popular  fallacy  that  those  terrible  demons  that  disturbed 
the  rest  of  our  forefathers  have  vanished,  with  many  others  of 
the  belongings  of  those  good  old  days.  But  they  are  still 
amongst  us,  though  they  now  empty  our  pockets  while  broad 
awake,  instead  of  sucking  our  blood  while  asleep.  These  vam 
pires  carry  on  their  depleting  process  under  the  disguises  of 
various  callings,  and  practice  upon  the  peaceful  and  industrious 
their  robberies  and  extortions  under  many  shapes.  The  class  of 
mankind  that  are  free  from  their  machinations  must  be,  in  world 
ly  goods,  poor  indeed.  They  toil  not,  neither  do  they  spin ;  but 
prey  upon  their  fellow  men  for  sustenance.  Among  them  may 
be  found  hereditary  landowners,  monopolists  of  every  description, 
cunning  priests,  scheming  lawyers,  usurious  "  grip-alls,"  corrupt 
judges,  scurvy  politicians,  greedy  speculators,  and  blackmailers 
of  every  description.  The  crimes  of  these  are  not  within  the 
province  of  these  memoirs.  The  pens  of  many  abler  scribes  have 
exposed  their  depredations  upon  peaceful  industry,  but  they  are 
as  powerful,  rapacious,  and  selfish  as  ever,  and  will  continue  to 
be  so  until  the  broad  light  of  intelligence  is  more  generally  dif 
fused  among  the  lower  classes.  It  is  with  the  incubi  known  as 
"  gambling  sharpers,"  who  infest  the  land,  "  seeking  whom  they 
may  devour,"  that  I  now  propose  to  deal;  because  I  am  more 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  manners,  customs,  and  artful 
dodges  of  that  cunning  race  of  thieves,  than  of  those  of  their 
brethren  in  infamy. 

Prejudice  is  fostered  by  ignorance.  The  public  at  large  has 
never  had  anything  like  a  correct  knowledge  of  gambling  or  gam 
blers — the  different  relations  and  degrees  of  social  standing 
which  exist  among  them,  their  manners  and  habits,  the  charac 
ter  of  their  rooms,  the  patrons  who  frequent  them,  or  the  games 
of  chance  played  there,  or  the  manner  in  which  those  games  are 
conducted.  Dice-coggers,  three-card  throwers,  red  and  black 
dealers,  strap  players  and  their  ilk,  with  their  cappers,  generally 
of  the  worst  rowdy  order,  have  been  met  with  at  fairs  and  other 
public  gatherings,  and  formerly  on  race-courses,  plying  their 


DTCUBI.  18J 

calling.  This  class  has  been  taken,  by  the  public  in  general,  as 
a  representative  one  of  the  gambling  community ;  for  the  reason 
that  no  opportunity  has  been  given  them  for  more  correct  judg 
ment.  The  press  of  the  country,  either  through  ignorance  or 
design,  has  placed  gamblers  before  the  people  on  the  same  grade 
as  thieves  and  murderers ;  then  why  should  the  community  at 
large  be  blamed  for  not  judging  them  more  favorably? 

For  many  years  the  fraternity  has  keenly  felt  this  cruel  wrong, 
and,  through  this  misjudgment,  have  at  various  times  suffered 
many  persecutions.  Those  of  them  able  to  take  up  the  pen 
in  defense  of  the  brotherhood  have  been  deterred  from  doing 
so  by  a  fear  of  outrage  from  a  horde  of  banded  sharpers,  who 
have  become  powerful  in  this  country  through  their  wealth  and 
influence.  To  place  the  gambler  in  his  proper  light  before  the 
public,  and  expose  the  rascally  practices  of  the  sharper,  is  the 
principal  object  of  this  work. 

A    GAMBLER 

* 

Is  a  person  willing  to  back  his  opinion,  whenever  he  is  in 
possession  of  any  money  with  which  to  do  so.  His  studies  are 
the  doctrine  of  chances,  and  the  science  of  playing  "  short 
games ;"  that  is,  popular  games,  like  poker,  brag,  Boston,  whist, 
cribbage,  all-fours,  euchre,  ecarte,  chess,  billiards,  backgammon, 
etc.  By  studying  the  doctrine  of  chances,  he  makes  himself 
acquainted  with  the  percentage  of  banking  games  of  chance, 
such  as  faro,  roulette,  monte,  rouge-et-noir,  lansquenet,  hazard, 
vingt-et-un,  etc.  A  thorough-bred  gambler  will  hazard  his 
money  at  all  short  games  with  which  he  is  acquainted,  and  often 
too  when  he  is  overmatched.  He  will  also  bet  his  money  on 
banking  games  of  chance,  on  elections,  horse-races,  boat-races, 
boxing- matches,  cock-fights,  and  even  on  raffles  for  turkeys  if 
nothing  better  offers.  It  would  be  impossible  to  make  a  correct 
estimate  of  this  class,  but  I  scarcely  think  that  within  the  broad 
limit  of  Uncle  Sam's  dominions  three  hundred  thorough-bred 
gamblers  can  be  found. 

The  majority  of  sporting  men  may  be  more  correctly  ciassea 
as  gambling  bankers.  The  greater  part  of  these  rely  solely  on 
banking  games  of  chance  without  playing  against  them  or 
hazarding  their  money  at  games  of  short  cards  or  other  sports  of 


182  WANDERINGS  OP  A  VAGABOND. 

the  kind.  Among  them  are  some  who  will  risk  their  money 
only  in  dealing  faro,  some  in  banking  vingt-et-un,  some  in 
roulette,  others  in  monte,  and  still  others  in  banking  chuck.  The 
majority  of  faro  bankers  are  as  ready  to  play  their  money  against 
the  game  as  to  bank  it ;  so  also  will  monte  bankers ;  but  it  is  a 
rare  thing  to  see  chuck,  roulette,  or  vingt-et-un  bankers,  play 
against  each  other's  games.  Many  gamblers  will  play  at  short 
games  and  against  faro,  who  will  not  risk  their  money  banking 
any  game  of  chance.  Some  depend  entirely  on  short  games,  and 
would  not  risk  their  money  on  any  banking  game  whatever. 
Regarding  the  number  of  regular  gamblers  in  this  country,  I 
doubt  if  the  number  who  may  be  thus  classed  will  reach  two 
thousand,  and  they  are  now  more  numerous  than  at  any  former 
period,  on  account  of  the  many  produced  by  our  civil  war.  But 
in  addition  to  these  there  are  at  least  four  hundred  more  who  may 
be  classed  aa 

MIXED     GAMBLERS, 

vho  hazard  their  money  in  banking  games  of  chance  and  at 
whatever  short  games  they  play,  with  confidence;  many  of  them 
being  inferior  to  none  in  playing  poker,  Boston,  brag,  all-fours, 
whist,  etc.  For  the  most  part  they  are  men  who  have  either  in 
herited  or  gained  a  sufficient  competency,  and  are  in  nowise 
dependent  on  their  play  for  a  livelihood.  Many  of  them  move  in 
the  highest  walks  of  life,  and  among  them  may  be  found  doctors, 
lawyers,  hotel  proprietors,  merchants,  brokers,  politicians,  etc. 
They  are  fond  of  gambling  and  the  society  of  gentlemanly 
gamblers,  to  whom  they  often  loan  money  when  in  need,  and 
frequently  take  what  is  called  a  silent  share  in  their  business. 
They  are  mostly  shrewd,  calculating  business  men,  well  versed 
in  all  the  phases  of  life,  good  judges  of  character,  and  have 
commanded  generally  more  than  ordinary  political  influence 
among  the  authorities  of  their  places  of  residence.  They  have 
been  the  friend  of  the  professional  gambler,  whenever  the  hand 
of  persecution  has  been  raised  against  him.  (ramblers  and 
mixed  gamblers  form  the  nucleus  from  which  emanate  all  the 
square  gambling  in  the  country.  Their  numbers  are  far  less  than 
the  public  suppose.  The  uninitiated  are  deceived  by  the  large 
number  of  employes,  and  the  immense  amount  of  hangers-on  at 
a  suite  of  gambling-rooms.  All  these  claim  to  be  gamblers,  and 


INCUBI.  183 

are  naturally  taken  for  such  by  the  public  at  large.  I  shall  now 
separate  from  the  assistants  or  hirelings  the  hangers-on  and  other 
leeches  who  follow  on  the  heels  of  gamblers,  but  who  have  no 
real  status  in  then:  community.  First  of  all  I  shall  marshal  to  the 
front 

THE    ASSISTANT    GAUBLEK. 

Two  persons  at  least  are  required  to  conduct  a  faro,  roulette, 
or  monte  bank.  I  have  seen  as  many  as  ten  employed  at  the 
same  time  at  a  monte  bank  in  the  city  of  Mexico.  All  large 
faro  banks  in  this  country  have  usually  as  many  as  four  engaged 
at  any  rate.  It  may  happen  that  each  of  these  four  persons  are 
interested  in  the  bank ;  such  is  frequently  the  case — many  bank 
ing  games  being  conducted  entirely  by  their  owners.  But  faro 
bankers,  like  the  majority  of  mankind  who  are  above  the  necessity, 
dislike  manual  labor ;  and  the  dealing  of  all  kinds  of  the  games 
mentioned  certainly  comes  under  that  head.  Consequently, 
there  are  very  few  faro- banks  dealt  in  this  country,  that  have 
not  at  least  one  assistant  employed,  and  several  can  be  found 
that  keep  constantly  as  many  as  four.  It  would  be  impossible 
for  bankers  to  conduct  their  games  without  their  help.  Nearly 
all  the  banks  on  the  Pacific  slope  have  four  of  these  retainers 
employed,  two  to  conduct  the  game  during  the  day,  and  the 
others  to  attend  to  it  during  the  night.  Years  ago,  it  was 
customary  in  the  Atlantic  States  to  divide  among  the  assistants 
what  small  change  was  taken  at  the  bank  during  the  day,  and 
in  a  few  banks  the  custom  is  still  retained ;  but  the  majority  of 
bankers,  finding  themselves  considerable  losers  by  the  custom, 
were  forced  to  abandon  it.  Their  assistants,  in  many  cases, 
would  give  to  outside  cronies  money  to  buy  small  change  to  play 
against  their  bank,  thus  taking  a  chance  to  win  and  none  to 
lose ;  for  if  the  money  was  lost  against  the  bank  it  was  divided 
amongst  the  employes  when  the  game  closed.  At  the  present 
time,  in  the  Atlantic  States,  assistants  receive  from  $5.00  to 
$10.00  per  day,  and  some  have  not  been  paid  more  than  $7.00 
per  week ;  but  such  cases  are  rare,  and  exist  only  among  New 
England  bankers,  whose  custom  it  is  to  pay  their  journeyman 
dealers  very  low.  Many  of  these  assistants  get,  in  the  course 
of  time,  an  interest  of  five  per  cent,  in  the  banks  where  they 
deal,  and  some  as  high  as  ten.  In  the  territories  and  on  the 


184  -WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

Pacific  slope  they  are  paid  $10.00  a  day,  and  many  are  allowed 
a  dollar  each  <day  from  the  game,  for  dinner  money.  In  the 
Western  and  Southern  States,  they  receive  from  $5.00  to  $10.00 
per  day  for  their  services,  the  price  varying  with  the  capability 
and  trustworthiness  of  the  employe.  The  mass  of  assistant 
gamblers  have  no  talent  for  card  playing;  few  among  them 
could  be  rated  as  second  class  short  card  players,  and  scarcely 
one  among  them  has  been  capable  of  protecting  the  games 
at  which  they  were  employed,  against  the  arts  of  sharpers. 

The  dealing  of  all  banking  games  is  a  labor  which  may  be 
taught  to  a  person  of  ordinary  capacity  within  a  few  weeks. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  make  an  estimate  of  the  numbers  of 
the  assistant  gamblers,  from  the  fact  that  they  spring  up  and 
retire  from  sight  according  to  the  increase  or  decrease  of  gamb 
ling,  both  public  and  private.  During  the  California  excitement, 
in  the  space  of  two  years  more  than  two  thousand  sprung  into 
existence.  As  gambling  decreased  many  of  these  sought  other 
occupations ;  but  the  great  bulk  of  them  followed  the  fortunes  of 
Gen.  Wm.  Walker,  in  his  Nicaraguan  expedition,  where  the  cli 
mate,  bad  whiskey,  and  the  bullets  of  the  natives,  in  a  majority  of 
cases,  closed  their  mortal  career.  The  few  who  returned  to  New 
Orleans  were  a  burden  on  the  city;  many  died  in  the  hospitals; 
and  the  few  who  remained  on  earth  were  swallowed  up  in  the 
army  during  our  civil  war.  During  the  rebellion,  gambling  in 
creased  rapidly  all  over  the  country,  and  before  its  suppres 
sion,  at  least  ten  times  as  many  faro-banks  as  before  flourished 
in  the  country,  and  gave  employment  to  at  least  fifteen  hundred 
assistant  gamblers,  who  were  all  creations  of  the  war. 

With  the  ceasing  of  the  war  gambling  greatly  decreased,  and 
the  faro-banks,  roulette  wheels,  vingt-et-un,  and  chuck-games 
dwindled  down  hi  a  proportion  of  ten  to  three.  In  consequence 
of  this,  the  newly-created  gamblers  were  driven  to  other  occupi? 
tions  for  a  livelihood.  A  few  still  hung  around  the  gambling- 
rooms  of  the  different  cities,  living  upon  the  bounty  of  profes 
sional  gamblers,  or  by  wheedling  a  few  checks  from  faro-players, 
borrowing  a  few  dollars  when  they  could,  and  in  this  way  kept 
soul  and  body  together.  Finally  they  wore  themselves  out,  and 
were  obliged  to  seek  other  climes  or  some  other  pursuit  for 
maintenance.  Perhaps  one  thousand  assistant  gamblers  are  at 
present  employed  around  the  different  faro-banks  in  the  United 


INCUBI.  185 

States  and  territories.     I  shall  now  bring  forward  a  class  for 
whom  I  am  unable  to  find  a  more  appropriate  name  than 

SYCOPHANT     GAMBLEBS. 

This  parasitical  class  hang  around  all  kind  of  gambling  bank 
ers,  whom  they  contrive  to  leech  in  one  way  or  another.  Among 
them  are  to  be  found  men  of  culture  and  refinement,  who  con 
sider  labor  degrading,  but  are  not  ashamed  to  become  the  spies 
and  pimps  of  gamblers,  from  whose  pockets,  as  they  are  des 
titute  of  all  gambling  talent,  they  derive  their  support.  Some, 
on  account  of  their  companionable  qualities,  have  their  expenses 
paid  by  the  banker  to  whom  they  cling;  others  make  them 
selves  useful  by  keeping  the  accounts  of  a  gambling-house,  and 
transacting  out-door  business ;  and  not  a  few  have  obtained  the 
confidence  of  their  patrons  to  such  a  degree  as  to  be  entrusted 
with  the  money  belonging  to  the  bank,  and  the  control  of  its 
domestic  affairs,  for  which  they  receive  a  salary  of  from  $100  to 
$150  per  month.  Others  of  them  obtain  a  small  interest  in  the 
bank,  for  their  real  or  supposed  influence  in  obtaining  customers. 
There  is  also  the  protector  of  the  faro-bank,  generally  a  worn- 
out  prize-fighter  resting  on  his  laurels,  in  many  places  an  im 
portant  personage.  Sometimes  he  is  only  a  bully  of  the  better 
description,  whose  presence  in  the  rougher  order  of  gambling- 
houses  is  a  discouragement  to  rowdyism,  and  whose  services  are 
usually  requited  at  the  rate  of  from  $5  to  $10  per  day.  These 
peaceful  guardians  of  gambling-houses  should  not  be  properly 
classed  among  the  Sycophants,  as  they  are  generally  useful  ap 
pendages  to  it;  neither  should  the  blackmailing  class  whom  I 
shall  now  marshal  into  line. 

These  worthies  are  generally  of  the  lower  order  of  politicians, 
who  have  sufficient  influence  with  the  police  to  induce  them  to 
spare  whatever  house  they  wish  to  protect,  and  to  shut  up  what 
ever  place  has  made  itself  obnoxious  to  them,  by  the  refusal  of  its 
proprietor  to  submit  to  their  blackmailing.  The  stock  in  trade 
of  the  political  blackmailer  is  either  fawning  or  bullying,  or  both, 
and  he  makes  either  useful,  or  both,  as  the  case  may  be,  whenever 
he  can  find  a  banker  weak-minded  or  timorous  enough  for  him 
to  prey  upon.  His  pay  generally  depends  on  the  liberality  of  his 
dupe,  but  often  on  the  amount  of  terror  with  which  he  can 


186  WANDEEISGS  OF  A  VAGABOND'. 

manage  to  inspire  him.  He  has  often  received  an  interest  of  ten 
per  cent,  in  a  faro-bank,  for  his  mere  promise  to  protect  it  against 
the  raids  of  the  police,  and  some  have  been  known  to  receive 
twenty-five  per  cent.  It  is  to  be  understood  that,  if  the  bank 
won,  their  share  of  the  winnings  must  remain  with  the  rest,  until 
the  stockholders  made  a  dividend. 

It  would  be  utterly  impossible  to  estimate  the  number  of 
sycophants  and  blackmailers  who  hang  around  and  feed  upon 
gamblers.  .  In  some  places  it  is  impossible  to  shake  them  off, 
while  in  others  they  are  perfectly  independent  of  them.  The 
parasitical  tribe  are  to  be  found,  more  or  less,  in  every  place,  and 
will  be,  so  long  as  foolish  gamblers  exist,  who  will  allow  them 
selves  to  be  leeched  by  them.  They  help  to  swell  the  number  of 
those  persons  known  under  the  name  of  gambler.  The  last  and 
most  numerous  of  this  tribe  I  shall  place  under  the  head  of 

HAXGERS-Off. 

This  class  outnumber  all  those  described,  five  to  one.  They 
hover  around  gambling-houses  of  the  lower  order  in  our  cities, 
lounge  around  hotels,  coffee-houses,  and  billiard-rooms,  and  seem 
to  have  no  visible  means  of  support.  They  live  by  begging, 
borrowing,  and  stealing  chips  from  the  players  around  the  faro- 
tables.  Whenever  they  can  get  a  stake  they  will  play  it,  or  will 
steal  a  sleeper  from  the  table,  if  they  can  get  away  with  it. 
Many  of  them  are  cappers  and  ropers  for  skinning-houses,  and 
not  a  few  are  dependent  upon  unfortunate  women  for  support.  N 
Numbers  of  them  are  clothed  in  the  most  fashionable  style,  and 
seem  to  enjoy  life  with  the  wealthiest  in  the  land.  In  our  large 
cities  hangers-on  are  excluded  from  all  the  better  class  gam 
bling-houses. 


SHARPEKS.  157 

CHAPTER    XVII, 

SHARPERS. 

The  brotherhood  is  numerous  and  varied.  But  the  individual 
to  whom  we  wish  to  introduce  our  reader  is  the  sharper  who  lives 
under  the  cloak  of  the  gambler.  To  chance  money  on  an  equal 
hazard  is  not  only  repugnant  to  his  principles  and  constitution, 
but  in  direct  violation  of  his  conscience.  As  he  seldom  possesses 
any  skill  in  playing  short  card  games,  he  does  not  waste  his  time 
nor  risk  his  money  on  such  follies,  except  when  he  chances  to 
find  a  verdant  adversary  whom  he  can  cheat.  His  stock  in  trade 
is  two-card  boxes  and  gorgeously  furnished  apartments.  The 
bare  thought  of  banking  a  28-numbered  roulette  wheel,  or  a 
chuck-luck  box,  unless  the  former  is  worked  with  a  trigger,  and 
the  latter  in  the  hands  of  a  No.  1  dice-cogger,  makes  him  turn 
pale  and  clutch  his  pockets  tighter.  If  one  of  bis  tribe  ever 
dealt  a  square  banking  game  of  chance  he  bas  deluded  some  un 
fortunate  individual  into  staking  him.  Not  a  farthing  of  his  own 
money  goes  that  way.  He  would  consider  it  most  culpably 
wasted.  He  will  sometimes  play  against  faro,  which  has  often 
impoverished  him;  for  but  a  short  time,  however.  With  his  two- 
card  box  he  reaps  from  the  crop  of  fools  that  spring  up  yearly, 
which  presently  sets  him  again  on  a  sound  pecuniary  footing,  and 
^he  flourishes  like  a  green  bay  tree  until  his  penchant  for  "  fight 
ing  the  tiger  "  again  overtakes  him.  But  the  more  sapient  sharper 
knows  the  value  of  his  money,  like  the  persecuted  Jew,  and  is 
better  posted  than  to  lavish  it  against  faro -banks,  or  to  waste  it 
in  luxurious  living,  unless  by  so  doing  he  can  increase  it  a  hun 
dred  fold.  Ability  and  wealth  make  their  distinctions  among 
this  community,  as  among  more  honest  people ;  therefore,  in  en 
deavoring  to  describe  them,  I  shall  place  them  in  two  orders, 
the  proprietors  of  first  and  second-class  "  skinning-houses." 

FIRST-CLASS     "SKINNING -HOUSES." 

In  our  large  cities  may  be  found  numbers  of  these,  as  well  as 
at  our  fashionable  watering-places.  They  are  magnificently 
furnished,  as  much  as  $50,000  having  been  expended  in  the  fit- 


188  «  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

ting  up  of  some  of  them.  The  walls  and  ceilings  are  artistically 
frescoed,  while  from  the  latter  depend  costly  chandeliers,  adorn 
ed  with  Bohemian  glass  shades.  The  finest  Brussels  and  Tur 
key  carpets  cover  the  floors,  and  from  the  costly  cornices  hang 
double  curtains  of  rich  silk  and  lace.  The  furniture  is  of  the 
most  expensive  and  fashionable  style,  conspicuous  among  which 
is  a  magnificent  side-board,  loaded  with  silver  goblets  and  the 
finest  cut-glass,  together  with  the  choicest  wines,  liquors,  and 
cigars,  for  the  free  use  of  the  guests  of  the  house.  Many  of  them 
are  adorned  with  valuable  pieces  of  bronze  and  marble  statuary, 
representing  horses,  fawns,  nymphs,  etc.,  while  costly  oil  paint 
ings  decorate  the  walls. 

The  gaming  paraphernalia  consist  of  a  faro-table  of  the 
finest  design  and  workmanship,  and  a  No.  28  roulette  wheel, 
placed  on  another  table,  quite  as  handsome  and  artistic.  The 
checks  and  other  articles  belonging  to  the  games  are  of  the  most 
elaborate  style  possible,  and  a  large  fancy  safe  occupies  a  con 
spicuous  place,  calculated  to  give  a  solid  and  moneyed  look  to 
the  establishment.  Adjoining  this  apartment  is  the  dining- 
room,  furnished  in  the  same  gorgeous  manner.  The  table  is 
provided  with  heavily  embossed  and  carved  silver  service,  and 
can  seat  comfortably  thirty  or  forty  guests.  Before  them  are 
placed,  in  fine  porcelain  and  Sevres  dishes,  the  choicest  viands, 
comprising  every  delicacy  to  be  obtained,  served  up  by  a  "maitre 
de  cuisine  "  unsurpassed  in  his  art.  Fruits,  both  hi  and  out  of 
season,  gratify  the  eye  and  tempt  the  palate,  and  from  costly 
Bohemian  and  cut-glass  expensive  and  delicious  wines  are  drank. 
No  expense  is  spared  hi  furnishing  the  table  with  everything 
which  would  meet  the  approval  of  the  most  fastidious  epicure. 
Nightly  at  eleven  o'clock  these  luxurious  feasts  are  furnished  the 
patrons  of  the  house.  The  expenses  of  these  establishments  de 
pend  much  upon  their  location,  and  also  range  according  to  their 
order.  For  instance,  to  run  a  first-class  house  such  as  I  have 
described  at  Saratoga,  or  Long  Branch,  or  New  York  city, 
would  probably  cost  $250  per  day ;  while  some  of  those  of  Balti 
more,  Philadelphia,  or  Boston,  would  not  require  over  $100  per 
day;  and  many  are  run  that  do  not  cost  more  than  $30  per  day. 

Within  a  few  years  the  proprietors  of  some  of  those  aristocratic 
"  skinning-houses"  have  hired  reporters  to  write  articles  for 
insertion  hi  the  newspapers  to  which  they  belonged,  describing 


SHARPERS.  189 

their  establishments,  setting  forth  their  splendor  and  magnifi- 
.  cence,  and  laudatory  of  the  manner  in  which  they  were  kept. 
These  may  be  styled  "ambiguous  advertising  dodges"  for  the 
purpose  of  drawing  strangers  to  their  houses.  I  have  selected  two 
of  these,  which  will  speak  for  themselves,  and  which  will  give  the 
reader  an  idea  of  the  magnificence  and  splendor  of  these  places, 
and  also  of  the  immense  sums  spent  in  decorating  and  fitting  up 
these  palatial  robbing  dens,  and  the  social  standing  of  the  gulls 
who  frequent  and  support  them. 

A  Gorgeous  Gaming  Palace. — Description  of  the  "Maryland 
Gentlemen's  Club  House,"  in  Baltimore. — Scenes  of  Dazzling 
Splendor ! — Dedication  Banquet ! — TheBank  opens  its  career 
by  tvinning  a  Stake  of  $20,000. 

[Baltimore  (Sept.  12,)  Correspondence  of  the  New  York  World.] 

The  great  gaming  house  of  Slater,  Kirby  <fc  Parker,  the  open 
ing  of  which  has  been  looked  forward  to  with  immense  interest 
by  the  sporting  men  of  this  city  and  vicinity,  was  inaugurated 
last  evening  by  a  grand  dinner,  to  which  about  two  hundred 
invitations  were  issued. 

The  building  in  itself  is  an  old  one,  and  has  long  been  used  as 
a  sporting  establishment;  but  the  proprietors  becoming  am 
bitious,  and  the  "  gentle  men"  of  Baltimore  complaining  at  the 
want  of  a  first-class  "club  house,"  it  has  undergone  a  complete 
renovation,  the  floors  in  the  upper  parj;  of  the  building  being 
raised  four  feet  each,  the  rooms  in  the  second  story  thrown  into 
one,  and  connected  with  a  large  dining-hall  in  the  rear,  through 
folding  doors,  and  the  ground-floor  being  devoted  exclusively  to 
kitchen  and  store-room  purposes.  The  upper  story  is  divided 
into  private  club-rooms,  bed-chambers,  bath-rooms,  and  wine- 
closets.  A  large  cellar  extends  the  length  of  the  building  under 
ground,  and  a  private  entrance  leads  out  into  the  open  lot  on  a 
back  street,  through  which  the  visitors  can  pass  if  desirous  of 
shunning  the  main  entrance. 

REGARDLESS     OF     EXPENSE. 

In  making  these  extensive  preparations,  no  regard  has  been 
paid  to  their  cost,  it  being  the  intention  of  the  proprietors  to 
make  it  the  first  club  house  in  the  country.  The  total  cost,  I  am 


190  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

told,  of  furnishing  the  house,  amounted  to  fifty  thousand  dollars. 
This  does  not  include  various  costly  works  of  art,  such  as  rare 
paintings  and  statues,  and  the  dinner  service,  for  which  the  round 
sum  of  twenty  thousand  dollars  was  paid  to  one  European  firm 
alone. 

Dinner  was  set  for  six  o'clock.  Shortly  before  that  time  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  persons  assembled  in  the  great  saloon  on  the 
second  floor,  where  the  several  games  of  faro,  roulette,  etc.,  are 
played.  Special  care  was  had  in  issuing  invitations,  to  select  those 
only  known  to  be  fearless  votaries  of  this  game  of  chance,  so 
that  by  far  the  greater  number  of  those  present  were  men  of  at 
least  ordinary  means,  and  many  of  wealth.  All  were  dressed  in 

FULL     DINNER     COSTUME. 

Black  coats  and  pants,  white  vests,  and  white  ueck-ties.The  com 
pany  numbered  many  of  the  most  distinguished  men  of  Mary 
land,  members  of  the  State  Legislature,  Judges  of  the  higher 
Courts,  and  a  score  or  so  of  representatives  of  the  city  govern 
ment,  contractors,  etc.  At  6.30  P.  M.  the  dinner  was  announced, 
and  the  guests  took  their  seats  at  the  table.  But  before  discuss 
ing  this  part  of  the  proceedings,  I  will  briefly  touch  upou  the  fur 
niture  and  appointments  of  the  house,  which,  from  personal 
observation,  exceeded  in  splendor  and  completeness  any  of  the 
kind  in  this  country,  or,  in  fact,  in  Europe,  not  even  excepting 
the  famous  establishment  of  Baden-Baden.  The  latter,  however, 
is  much  larger. 

A     GORGEOUS     VESTIBULE. 

The  hall  doer  which  faces  Calvert  street,  about  half  a  block 
from  Baltimore  street,  the  principal  thoroughfare  in  the  city, 
opens  into  a  small  vestibule,  from  the  ceiling  of  which  hangs  a 
large  bell-shaped  chandelier  lined  with  silver,  and  with  the  jets 
so  arranged,  that  the  light  streams  down  and  outward  in  a  soft 
flood,  revealing  oak-paneled  walls  in  etchings  of  gold,  and  a  lofty 
ceiling  frescoed  with  groups  of  sporting  naiads.  Immediately  be 
yond,  and  dividing  the  hall  into  two  parts,  stands  another  and  a 
more  massive  door  of  solid  walnut.  A  colored  servant  in  evening 
dress  sits  behind  this,  and,  after  inspecting  the  visitor  through  a 
small  oval  glass  on  one  side,  yields  or  refuses  admittance,  accord- 


SHARPERS.  191 

ing  as  the  applicant  is  known  to  the  house,  or  gives  evidence  of 
being  a  bona-flde  customer.  This  inner  hall- way  is  larger  than 
the  outer,  and  once  over  its  threshold,  the  visitor  is  at  liberty  to 
explore  the  mysteries  above,  to  which  a  flight  of  steps  winds  slow 
ly  upwards.  The  same  paneled  walls  and  a  similar  chandelier 
mark  this  second  hall,  which  has,  however,  the  addition  of  a 
velvet  carpet,  thick  enough  to  stifle  the  heaviest  foot-fall.  In  a 
niche  in  the  wall,  and  overlooking  the  stairway,  is  a  statue  of 
Don  Coesar  de  Bazan,  in  bronze,  about  half  life  size. 

MAGNIFICENT     FTJBNITTJRE. 

The  main  saloon,  to  which  the  hall  stairs  conduct,  occupies  the 
entire  front  of  the  second  story,  and  is  about  sixty  feet  long  and 
thirty  wide.  It  is  gorgeously  fitted  up.  A  seamless  dark  blue 
velvet  carpet,  like  that  in  the  east  room  of  the  White  House, 
covers  the  floor,  over  which  are  scattered  articles  of  furniture  of 
the  most  massive  description.  On  the  right,  as  you  enter,  an 
etagere  of  rose -wood  that  reaches  up  to  the  ceiling;  two  bronze 
statues  of  Richard  Cceur  de  Lion  and  PhillipeAugusterest  on  its 
lower  shelves,  flanking  a  famous  equine  bronze  representing  a 
stallion  teasing  a  mare.  A  mirror  forms  the  backing  of  this  piece 
of  furniture,  which  was  imported  at  a  cost  of  three  thousand,  five 
hundred  dollars.  On  the  left  stands  a  side-board  on  which  are 
ranged  all  sorts  of  decanters  and  glasses,  the  former  of  cut  glass, 
and  filled  with  various  kinds  of  wines  and  liquors ;  these  are  at 
the  gratuitous  use  of  the  visitors.  All  along  the  room  are  placed 
various  articles  of  furniture,  made  wholly  of  walnut  and  rose 
wood  ;  sofas,  chairs,  foot-stools,  massive  round  tables  for  the  con 
venience  of  short  card  parties,  writing-desks,  lounges,  etc.  Two 
mantels  of  Parian  marble,  surmounting  ranges  of  the  most  ap 
proved  and  costly  make,  are  set  in  the  west  wall,  over  which  hang 
two  mirrors  of  French  plate  glass  set  in  walnut  frames,  with  an 
intertwining  of  gold  leaves  and  vine  work.  Other  mirrors  of 
equally  large  dimensions  surround  the  room,  reflecting  the 
smallest  object  it  contains. 

AN     ARTISTIC     CHECK-BOOK. 

The  check-book  for  the  use  of  persons  who,  having  no  ready 
cash,  are  yet  desirous  of  playing,  together  with  other  writing 


192  WANDERINGS  OP  A  VAGABOND. 

materials,  is  kept  in  a  large  book-case  in  one  corner  of  the  saloon. 
This  book-case  is  filled  with  private  compartments  of  various 
sizes,  in  which  such  articles  as  are  accidentally  left  behind  by 
the  players  are  kept  until  called  for.  It  also  contains  a  number 
of  secret  drawers,  used  to  keep  "  collateral"  in  until  redeemed. 

BLUE     AND     GOLD. 

The  walls  of  this  saloon  are  paneled  similarly  to  those  of  the 
entry,  except  that  the  background  is  of  blue,  and  there  is  a  freer 
use  of  gold.  The  contrast  between  this  and  the  frescoes  on  the 
ceilings  is  very  striking  and  effective,  the  artist  having  given 
his  figures  a  joyous  animate  expression,  that  well  accords  with  the 
rich  warm  color.  The  windows  are  concealed  by  fine  lace  dra 
pery,  backed  by  heavy  damask  curtains,  pendent  from  cornices 
of  rosewood  with  gold  borders.  The  room  is  lit  by  three  chande 
liers  similar  to  those  already  described,  and  a  number  of  jets  in 
small  clusters  here  and  there  on  the  wall. 

THE     GAMI3TG     TABLES 

are  three  in  number.  At  two  of  these  faro  is  played;  at  the  other, 
roulette.  The  tables  are  as  large  as  possible,  consistent  with 
comfort,  and  their  appointments,  such  as  chips,  dealing-boxes, 
cue-cards,  etc.,  are  of  the  finest  quality.  Immediately  behind 
the  faro-table  hang  two  pictures  of  Rubens,  representing  Sunrise 
and  Sunset  at  Sea.  A  third,  of  a  French  Peasant  Girl,  returning 
home  laden  with  fruits,  is  the  production  of  a  clever  French 
artist  whose  name  now  escapes  my  memory.  The  dealers,  of 
•whom  there  are  five,  are  men  well  known  in  the  profession. 

MOKE     SPLENDOK     TJP-STAIKS. 

The  upper  story  comprises  seven  chambers,  three  of  which  are 
used  as  club  rooms.  Appurtenances  for  playing  all  sorts  of  games 
can  be  found  in  them,  and  the  furniture  is  of  the  richest  possible 
description.  Back  of  these  rooms  are  three  bed-chambers  ele 
gantly  furnished.  The  beds  are  importations,  and  cost  five  hun 
dred  dollars  each.  These  rooms  are  for  the  use  of  players  who 
wish  to  leave  the  city  by  an  early  morning  train,  or  who,  from  too 


SHARPERS.  193 

free  libations  of  champagne,  are  disinclined  to  walk  home.  A 
bath-room,  with  hot  and  cold  water,  is  attached  to  each  chamber. 
The  kitchen  and  store-room  run  the  whole  length  of  the  ground- 
floor.  The  former  is  larger  than  any  hotel  kitchen  in  the  city, 
and  has  a  range  able  to  cook  provisions  for  one  hundred  persona 
at  a  time  j  its  cost  was  three  thousand,  five  hundred  dollars.  One 
head  and  three  under  cooks  and  two  scullions  comprise  the  force 
employed  here.  The  wine-cellar,  which  is  under  ground,  is  filled 
with  casks  and  butts,  and  long  shelves  on  which  are  deposited 
various  kinds  of  wine,  of  which  each  separate  brand  has  its  own 
compartment.  Twenty  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  wines  and 
liquors  are  stored  here  already,  and  a  large  importation,  I  am 
told,  is  en  route. 

THE     CLIMAX     OF     ENCHANTMENT. 

Of  all  the  various  departments  of  the  house,  however,  it  is  re 
served  for  the  dining  hall  to  stand  forth  as  the  Alpha  and  Omega 
of  its  many  splendors.  The  entrance  to  it  is  from  the  main  saloon, 
and  it  is  through  folding-doors  of  stained  box-wood,  the  panels 
of  which  are  carved  to  represent  various  scenes  of  the  chase. 
They  move  on  noiseless  wheels  in  grooves  an  inch  and  a  half  deep, 
made  so  on  account  of  the  great  superincumbent  weight.  On 
the  day  of  opening,  after  the  announcement  of  dinner,  these  doora 
were  thrown  wide  open,  and  the  guests,  headed  by  the  proprie 
tors,  were  conducted  to  their  seats  at  the  table,  which  was  in  the 
shape  of  a  capital  T.  A  printed  menu,  according  to  which  sev 
enteen  courses  were  to  be  served,  lay  by  the  side  of  each  plate, 
together  with  a  list  of  wines,  and  the  order  in  which  they  were  to 
follow  each  other. 

A     RICH     AXD     EAUE     TABLE. 

The  table  is  an  immense  affair,  and  is  capable  of  seating  eighty 
persons.  It  is  made  of  black  walnut,  supported  by  heavy  dragon- 
legs  of  the  same  material.  The  chairs  are  also  of  black  walnut, 
with  soft  cushions,  covered  with  green  morocco.  The  appoint 
ments  of  the  table  are  dazzlingly  magnificent.  In  the  centre  rests 
an  enormous  silver  ice-holder,  which  can  be  also  used  as  a  flower- 
stand.  Its  sides  are  of  solid  silver,  with  an  embossed  net-work 
of  branches  and  fruits  in  virgin  gold ;  the  inside  is  also  of  the 


194  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

same  metal.  Flowers  to  the  amount  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  filled  it,  reaching  almost  to  the  ceiling.  Here  and  there, 
over  the  table,  were  smaller  stands,  also  filled  with  flowers,  con 
nected  with  each  ether  and  the  centre-piece  by  links  of  roses,  so 
that  each  guest  saw  his  vis-a-vis  through  a  flowery  screen,  as  it 
were. 

A     DAZZLING     DINNER-SERVICE. 

All  the  glass  used  in  this  establishment  is  cut,  and  of  European 
importation,  and  stamped  with  the  initial  "  S."  The  glasses 
have  cleverly  executed  portraits  of  prominent  German  politicians 
on  their  sides.  The  rest  of  the  dinner-service  is  of  solid  silver, 
lined  with  gold.  Among  other  things  are  two  silver  pitchers, 
two  feet  high,  which  were  made  in  Geneva  at  a  cost  of  one  thou 
sand  dollars  each. 

BRIGHT    AS    SUNLIGHT. 

The  room  is  lit  brilliantly  by  two  chandeliers  and  various  side 
jets.  The  heat  and  smoke  from  the  former  pass  through  ap 
ertures  in  the  roof  arranged  on  the  same  principle  as  those 
used  in  the  Hall  of  Representatives  at  Washington.  The  walls 
are  unlike  those  in  the  main  saloon,  being  box-wood  paneled 
with  etchings  of  scarlet  and  silver  to  match  the  doors.  Half  a 
score  of  sporting  prints  in  walnut  frames  are  suspended  about  the 
room.  The  floor  is  laid  with  a  red  velvet  carpet,  so  thick  and 
soft  that  the  foot  falls  noiselessly  upon  it. 

It  would  be  next  to  impossible  to  give  a  detailed  account  of  the 
various  courses  served  to  the  150  guests  present  at  the  banquet. 
The  first  caterer  of  Baltimore  had  the  affair  in  charge,  and  as 
that  city  is  famous  for  its  cuisine,  his  efforts  were  of  course  a 
success.  Speeches  were  made  by  prominent  gentlemen,  lauda 
tory  of  the  enterprise  of  the  management  in  enacting  so  fine  a 
club  room,  and  the  establishment  was  unanimously  christened 
the  "  Maryland  Gentlemen's  Club  House."  After  dinner  the  play 
ranged  high,  the  bank  beginning  its  career  by  a  run  of  luck,  win 
ning  about  $20,000,  half  of  which  was  lost  by  a  well-known  City 
Hall  contractor. 

The  foregoing  article  first  made  its  appearance  in  the  New 
York  World,  and  from  thence  found  its  way  into  the  columns  of 
many  of  the  newspapers  throughout  the  country.  It  was  written 


SHARPERS.  195 

by  the  order  of  Slater,  the  principal  proprietor,  whose  inordinate 
pride  could  not  be  satisfied  unless  the  public  were  made  acquaint 
ed  with  his  new  gorgeous  establishment.  Besides,  it  was  an  ad 
vertisement  to  draw  strangers  visiting  Baltimore,  on  business  or 
pleasure,  to  his  house.  A  few  words  will  be  sufficient  to  inform 
the  reader  of  the  new  founded  institution  christened  at  its  dedi 
catory  banquet,  the  ''Maryland  Gentlemen's  Club." 

Doc.  Slater,  as  he  is  nicknamed,  was  raised  in  the  city  of  Balti 
more,  and  brought  up  to  the  butchering  business.  He  belonged 
to  that  political  class  which  for  many  years  ruled  Baltimore  with 
pistols,  knives,  brass-knuckles,  and  sluug-shots,  known  as  "  Plug 
Uglies,"  among  whom  he  was  a  kind  of  leader,  up  to  the  time  of 
their  suppression,  which  was  not  until  the  commencement  of  the 
rebellion.  About  this  time  he  discarded  the  knife  and  steel,  and 
his  stall  in  the  market,  and  went  to  gambling.  He  had  indulged 
in  it  surreptitiously  from  boyhood  up,  and  later  as  an  amateur ; 
but  never  before  had  he  come  out  and  taken  his  place  among 
professionals.  With  two  others  he  put  up  a  faro-game  in  the 
same  building  where  the  Maryland  Gentlemen's  Club  at  present 
exists.  This  bank  played  for  all  persons,  at  an  open  limit  of 
$6.25,  and  was  almost  exclusively  patronized  by  the  rougher  class. 
Incredible  as  it  may  appear,  with  so  small  a  limit,  the  bank  in 
the  course  of  a  year,  besides  its  expenses,  won  $40,000.  Slater's 
partners,  satisfied  with  their  share,  withdrew  from  the  partnership 
and  sold  their  share  in  the  house  to  Slater.  He  now  run  the  bank 
himself  and  increased  the  limit  to  $25  open.  For  more  than  a 
year  success  attended  him,  when  he  closed  his  [house,  renovat 
ed  it,  and  furnished  it  respectably.  He  now  meant  to  entertain 
a  different  class  of  customers,  and  gave  to  his  doorkeeper  orders 
to  admit  no  one  except  those  whom  he  had  invited.  To  these  he 
furnished,  gratuitously,  liquors,  and  plain  but  substantial  three 
o'clock  dinners  and  ten  o'clock  suppers.  Fortune  still  smiled 
on  him ;  his  bank  seldom  lost.  Young  and  inexperienced  in  his 
profession,  never  having  met  with  any  reverses  worthy  the  name, 
he  believed  it  impossible  for  a  faro-bank  to  lose,  and  felt  too 
proud  to  have  it  said  that  he  put  a  limit  on  his  game.  He  invit 
ed  all  gamblers  transiently  in  the  city  to  come  and  play.  When 
no  other  established  bank  could  be  found  in  the  country  to  take 
higher  than  $500  bets  from  a  single  player,  his  bank  turned  for 
wagers  of  $5,000.  He  staked  gambling-houses  in  Washington, 


196  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

Philadelphia,  Annapolis,  and  Cape  May,  besides  entrusting 
money  to  different  gamblers,  and  allowing  them  to  roam  all  over 
the  country  with  it,  in  search  of  faro-players.  Many  of  these 
were  unable  to  protect  it,  and  many  made  no  effort  to  do  so, 
while  others  spent  it  among  themselves  or  played  it  off  against 
various  faro-banks.  Finally,  fortune,  who  had  so  long  favored, 
deserted  him.  This  happened  in  1868,  and  before  reverses  had 
overtaken  him  he  was  worth  about  $80,000,  and  had  lived  at  the 
rate  of  $20,000  a  year,  being  an  "  extravagant  cuss."  His  bank 
lost  almost  continually  for  two  years,  and  after  it  had  drained 
from  him  his  last  dollar,  he  still  kept  it  going  by  borrowing  from 
his  friends  until  his  debts  exceeded  $20,000.  But  friends  soon 
tired  of  giving  up  their  money  when  it  was  doubtful,  to  say  the 
least,  whether  it  would  not  follow  what  had  preceded  it.  The 
Doc.'s  circumstances  had  now  gotten  to  their  lowest  ebb.  A  few 
months  of  his  former  good  luck  would  have  reinstated  him,  for 
the  wealthiest  and  highest  in  the  land  patronized  his  game.  But 
fortune  refused  to  be  propitiated,  and  would  not  smile  again  upon 
him.  She  had  once  distributed  to  him  her  gifts  with  a  lavish 
hand ;  but  he  was  too  dull  to  seize  upon  and  appropriate  them. 
Some  of  the  two-card  sharpers  of  Washington  had  been  for  sev 
eral  years  greedily  watching  the  fat  fish  that  frequented  Slater's 
place,  and  had  on  many  occasions  reminded  him  how  easily 
their  money  might  be  made  to  change  hands  through  the  agency 
of  a  two-card  box,  instead  of  allowing  them  to  walk  away  with 
his,  through  "bull-headed  luck."  To  these  overtures  Slater  had 
turned  a  deaf  ear,  until  he  knew  not  where  to  obtain  money  to 
carry  on  his  game.  The  Parker,  mentioned  as  one  of  the  pro 
prietors  of  the  Maryland  Gentlemen's  Club  House,  had  made 
about  $200,000  by  keeping  a  skinuing-house  in  Washington,  dur 
ing  the  war.  Being  a  moneyed  man,  Slater  courted  his  friend 
ship.  When  he  could  no  longer  borrow  money  from  his  friends 
in  Baltimore  to  sustain  his  bank,  be  applied  to  Parker,  who 
loaned  him  $5,000.  When  that  was  gone  he  again  sought  Parker, 
which  worthy  gentleman  politely  informed  him  he'd  no  more 
money  to  shoot  off  at  "squar'  farrer,"  but  if  he  wanted  to  fit  up 
a  stunner  of  a  house  and  let  his  man  Kirby  go  into  it  as  operator, 
he  was  willing  to  throw  up  $100,000  that  way.  Slater  was  in 
desperate  need;  he  hesitated,  and  then  yielded,  and  we  are  in 
debted  to  the  reporter  for  his  description  of  the  place,  and  the 


SCENES  AT  LONG  BRANCH.  197 

dedicatory  dinner  given  by  Messrs.  Slater,  Kirby  &  Parker. 
"After  dinner  the  play  ran  high,  the  bank  beginning  its  career 
by  winning  a  stake  of  $20,000,  half  of  which  was  lost  by'  a  prom 
inent  City  Hall  contractor." 


CHAPTEK    XVIII. 

SCENES  AT  LONG  BRANCH. 

Some   Social  Contrasts   There. — Johnny    Chamberlain  and  his 
Establishment  at  Long  Branch. 

CHAMBERLAIN'S    GAMING-HOUSE. 

[From  the  Chicago  Tribune,  July  22, 1870.] 

Sitting  one  night  on  the  wide,  cheerful  verandah  of  the  West 
End,  looking  out  upon  Fisk's  six-in-hand  going  by,  I  saw  that 
worthy  address  a  square-set,  black-haired,  black-eyed  man, 
riding  by  in  a  trotting  wagon. 

"That's  Johnny  Chamberlain,"  said  a  gentleman,  "that  fleshy 
one.  Do  you  see  how  he  holds  his  buttoned  coat -collar  close  up 
to  his  throat  with  his  hand ;  he's  got  a  mighty  bad  cough,  has 
Johnny,  and  if  he  don't  watch  sharp,  they'll  plant  him  next  spring 
where  he  won't  grow  any  more." 

"That's  the  great  gambler,  is  it?  He's  young  looking,  and 
not  ill  looking." 

Oh,  he's  as  good  a  fellow  as  ever  you  see.  He's  full  of  enter 
prise.  Morrissey  is  a  parvenue  to  Johnny  Chamberlain.  He's 
put  $90,000  into  that  club  house,  and  he  has  got  up,  all  of  his 
own  idea,  the  notion  of  a  racing  park  here;  and  that  man  has 
put  $150,000  of  his  own  money  into  that  park  before  he  asked 
any  one  to  help  him  a  cent's  worth.  Then  he  raised  $100,000 
just  by  asking  one  or  two  of  us.  He's  a  young  man.  He's  got  a 
wonderful  memory.  He's  never  been  married,  but  he's  a 
business  man  right  through.  It's  just  up  and  up  with  Johnny 
Chamberlain,  square  and  square.  He  never  asks  nobody  to  play 
cards  nor  buy  a  chip.  He  never  looks  for  it,  he  scorns  it." 

"  It  seems  rather  strange  that  a  man  can  have  all  the  business 


198  -WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

virtues,  when  his  occupation  is  to  stimulate  the  propensity  of 
iren  to  play  and  ruin  themselves  in  a  night,  out  of  a  year's 
labor." 

Just  at  this  tune  the  man  referred  to  in  the  talk,  appeared 
upon  the  piazza,  and  stood  for  some  time  leaning  against  the 
jamb  of  the  main  door,  quietly  peering  down  the  porch  amongst 
the  men.  The  proprietors  and  several  other  people  went  up  to 
him.  He  had  a  short  cough  now  and  then,  which  caused  in 
quiries  into  his  health  and  copious  advice.  He  seemed  to  be  a 
petty  man  among  the  average  of  manhood  congregated  there, 
in  the  deepening  evening  of  the  seaside.  It  was  a  beautiful 
night  up  in  the  sky,  and  the  stars  were  out,  and  the  far-off  sails 
were  clearly  seen  riding  under  the  moon.  All  the  senses  of  men 
were  acute,  and  their  cigars  smoked  like  the  blessings  of  provi 
dence,  lulling  such  sharpened  intellects.  We  all  talked  of  the 
lives  of  gamblers,  and  it  was  easy,  in  that  atmosphere,  to  see 
reasons  for  wickedness,  and  trace  commercial  laws  out  of  the  ebb 
and  flow  of  ineradicable  sins.  This  gambler  grew  to  be  a  mer 
chant,  that  supplied  a  want  implanted  in  man.  His  success,  and 
the  uses  he  put  it  to,  dignified  the  investment.  The  mind 
rambled  illogically  around  the  superfices  of  history,  and  dis 
covered,  without  effort,  that  he  was  no  worse  than  this  politician, 
or  that  soldier,  or  yonder  speculator.  We  grew  upon  wonder 
fully  apologetic  terms  towards  everybody  in  that  enlivening 
atmosphere,  and  every  conviction  slipped  away  as  if  it  were  an 
unfounded  prejudice  now  for  the  first  time  exposed  and  discarded. 
Such  are  the  heights,  such  the  atmosphere  when  we  forswear 
our  vows,  and  take  merit  upon  ourselves,  at  the  moment,  for  so 
doing. 

"  Come  over  to  the  club  house,  and  I'll  introduce  you,"  said 
my  friend,  the  editor.  u  I  know  him  right  well." 

The  club  house  was  now  all  full  of  light,  half  emitted  from  its 
carefully-closed  window-sashes,  but  streaming  ruddily  and  wel 
coming  from  the  open  door.  Two  gaudy  lamps  on  the  gate-posts 
blazed  red  and  white. 

"I  never  played  faro,  or  bet  a  dollar  in  my  life." 

"  If  he  sees  you  betting  anything  there,  he'll  put  you  out.  He 
never  allows  us  to  play.  There  will  be  no  hints  of  any  kind." 

"  Come  on !    It's  part  of  experience." 

Suppose  I  had  been  a  man  with  a  pocket  full  of  money,  what 
might  have  that  experience  cost  me ! 


SCENES  AT  LONG  BRANCH.  199 

"  These  gate  lamps,"  said  my  conductor,  "  were  presents  from 
Bill  Tweed,  of  New  York.  Tweed  is  the  Grand  Sachem  of  Tarn- 
many  Hall.  The  cottage  of  itself  cost  sixty  thousand  dollars, 
and  Chamberlain  claims  that  the  whole  affair  cost  him  $90,000." 

We  had  now  passed  through  a  wide-open  gate,  always  closed 
by  day,  into  a  very  large  level  lawn,  inclosing  perhaps  fifty  acres, 
the  only  buildings  whereon  were  the  club  house,  an  ice-house 
just  beneath  it,  and  a  stable  two  rods  further  away ;  both  ice 
house  and  stable  were  roofed  with  variegated  slate  and  hand 
somely  capped  with  golden  vanes  and  rods. 

The  club  house  itself  was  of  a  pale  yellow  color  frame,  and 
three  stories  high ;  the  upper  story  in  a  tipped  Mansard  roof  of 
beautiful  inlaid  slate,  and  the  whole  was  tipped  with  a  gilded 
balustrade  of  peculiar  iron  work.  A  piazza  surrounded  the  first 
story  of  the  house,  of  a  light  and  beautiful  construction — green 
trellis-work  below,  the  columns  painted  red,  with  gilt  Corinthian 
capitals,  and  the  balustrade  above  was  also  yellow  and  gilt. 
There  was  but  one  entrance,  and  that  a  grand  one,  with  a  drive 
meandering  up  to  it.  ,The  whole  edifice  was  a  gem  of  carpentry, 
standing  high  and  gracefully,  and  I  guessed  its  proportions  to 
be  eighty  feet  square.  It  is  the  noblest  cottage  on  Long  Branch, 
and  but  one  or  two  pretend  to  cope  with  it. 

As  the  sound  of  our  feet  rang  on  the  steps,  three  or  four  per 
sons  appeared,  well  dressed,  and  I  thought  one  of  them,  a  negro, 
wore  white  gloves.  There  were  plausible  invitations  all  around 
of  "  Good  evening,  gentlemen.  Walk  in,  gentlemen." 

We  passed  into  an  elegant  house,  rather  extravagantly  be 
decked  with  mirrors,  and  yet  upholstered  in  places  with  as  much 
taste  as  cost.  Copious  supplies  of  gas  filled  the  many  softly 
enameled  globes  of  the  chandeliers,  and  these  lights  were  repro 
duced  in  the  mirrors ;  while  yet  the  rich  carpets  were  of  subdued 
patterns,  and  the  wall  paper  would  have  done  credit  to  an  edu 
cated  lady's  eye.  The  furniture  was  as  unique  and  solid  as  the 
workmanship  of  the  day  can  afford.  The  time  has  gone  by 
when  we  can  describe  a  master  gambler  by  his  gaudy  surround 
ings.  The  arts  find  no  better  patrons  in  our  time  than  successful 
gamblers.  The  tenderest,  neatest  palaces  they  build,  and  are  at 
Hamburg,  Saratoga,  Baden-Baden,  and  Long  Branch.  Splits 
and  trumps  are  sovereigns. 

I  am  going  to  tell  what  I  thought  about  this  place  at  the  mo- 


200  "WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

ment,  and  not  draw  morals  in  advance.  Being  in  a  man's  own 
house,  and  being  welcomed,  I  could  do  no  worse  than  be  polite, 
and  I  looked  about  me  with  something,  perhaps,  of  Aladdin's 
sensation,  when  he  first  struck  his  lamp  and  saw  the  illuminated 
caverns  of  the  genii.  It  was  sumptuous,  and  by  its  elegance  in 
spired  respect.  Room  opened  into  room,  so  that  there  were  three 
or  four  apartments  into  one,  all  brilliantly  lighted,  and  nothing 
offended  the  eye  except  the  instruments  that  had  reared  this 
structure  and  furnished  it — the  green  tables.  Behind  a  plain  table 
in  the  first  room  sat  a  man,  and  at  his  left  elbow  were  piled  up 
round  ivory  checks,  red  and  white.  In  the  second  room  a  long 
handsome  piece  of  furniture,  with  carved  legs,  reached  along 
the  wide  side  of  the  wall,  a  man  behind  it,  and  in  the  middle 
of  the  table  a  brass  wheel  was  sunken  into  the  baize,  and 
around  the  brass  were  numbers  and  colors  in  circles,  and  on 
the  verge  of  the  table  were  various  other  plots,  patterns,  handles, 
and  so  forth,  betokening  different  means  of  wagering  money.  , 

Opposite  this  infernal  machine  was  a  third  table  and  a  man 
behind  it,  and  the  engraved  copy  of  a  whole  pack  of  cards  was 
enameled  into  the  table,  while  at  the  man's  elbow  were  piles  of 
ivory  checks.  This  I  knew  to  be  the  faro-bank,  and  a  silver  box 
was  standing  upon  it,  the  dealing-box.  All  the  men  were  neatly 
dressed,  and  they  all  said, 

"Good  evening,  gentlemen." 

"  Where  is  John?"  said  the  editor. 

"He  was  here  just  now.  Perhaps  he  has  gone  over  to  the 
hotel.  Will  you  walk  in  and  take  some  supper  f  " 

As  we  paused,  irresolutely,  there  were  cries  of  "  Here  is  Mr. 
Chamberlain ;  here  he  is ! " 

The  man  I  had  seen  at  the  hotel  walked  in  and  addressed  my 
friend  in  a  hearty  way,  and  at  once  led  the  way  to  the  supper- 
room. 

"Take  seats,"  lie  said;  "here  is  about  everything — frogs, 
woodcock,  quails,  robins,  trout,  soft-shell  crabs,  and  terrapins. 
William,  some  wine." 

A  black  man,  of  deferential  manners,  gave  me  a  plate  of  frogs 
and  robins,  and  filled  a  glass  with  such  wine  that  all  previous 
vintages  of  my  acquaintance  seemed  mere  cider  to  it.  The  table 
was  epicurean  in  every  part,  and  at  the  head  of  it,  next  to  the 
host,  was  a  beefsteak  which  seemed  to  be  a  tenderloin  cut  from 
a  megatherium,  so  large  and  juicy  was  it. 


(SCENES  AT  LONG  BRANCH.  201 

"Do  you  set  such  a  table  every  night,  John?" 

"All  day  and  all  night;  I  like  to  see  my  friends  eat.  My  'cook 
is  the  best  that  money  can  hire." 

A  tall,  bald-headed,  affable  man,  also  a  gamester,  belonging  to 
the  place,  drew  up  to  the  table,  and  took  a  piece  of  woodcock. 
He  said  that  all  Morrissey's  furniture  at  Saratoga  was  made  in 
Grand  street,  New  York,  while  John  bought  every  article  he  pos 
sessed  in  Paris.  The  John  named  last  here  turned  to  me  and 
said  he  would  be  happy  to  drive  me  out  to  the  track  any  morn 
ing  I  wanted  to  go. 

Chamberlain  was  a  good-looking  man  under  forty  years  of 
age,  with  the  blackest  eye  one  can  see  in  a  man's  head,  large, 
piercing,  and  animal-like,  and  at  once  beautiful  and  dangerous. 
His  forehead  was  good,  and  with  large  developments  over  the 
eyebrows,  so  strong  that  I  was  not  mistaken  to  see  some  in 
stances  of  a  wonderful  memory,  so  necessary  to  a  gamester.  The 
lower  part  of  his  face  and  nose  were  coarser,  and  his  moustache 
appeared  to  be  dyed,  while  his  hair  was  glossy  black  as  the 
crow's  wing.  He  had  a  laughing  manner,  a  good  smile,  and  in 
his  features  the  gentleman  and  the  outlaw  were  blended. 
His  shoulders  were  broad  and  square,  and  his  frame  was  over- 
powerful,  and  he  stood  upon  his  feet  in  that  posture  approach 
ing  bow-leggedness.  which  is  natural  in  the  sporting  man  and 
the  sparrer.  Withal,  he  looked  his  part,  a  man  of  wild  in 
stincts  stricken  with  a  commercial  ambition,  and  erecting  his 
vices  into  a  business  interest ;  a  young  man,  still  unmarried,  but 
consoling  himself  with  the  temporary  possession  of  one  of  the 
most  voluptuous  actresses  in  America ;  dearly  paid  for,  and  fickle 
as  dear,  his  very  prosperity  was  pitiful ;  never  to  know  the  truth 
and  consolation  of  home,  to  be  an  askant  study  for  his  guests, 
and  to  be  always  considered  at  his  worst ;  to  feel,  perhaps,  that 
his  winnings  could  bring  him  no  blessings ;  to  look  around,  up 
on  the  teeming,  struggling  world,  and  know  that  in  considering 
their  species,  they  never  include  him ;  to  catch  their  eye  as  he 
rode  by,  and  feel  that  the  words  they  felt  were,  "bloody  gam 
bler."  Then,  that  occasional  cough,  which  seemed  to  hurt  him, 
and  I  noticed,  with  sympathy,  that  the  negro  always  got  behind 
him  solicitously,  when  he  coughed  so,  and  looked  down  upon 
Chamberlain  like  his  own  prodigal  son  and  master. 

After  eating,  we  talked  a  few  minutes,   and  Chamberlain 


202  WANDERIXGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

described  the  house.  There  was  his  famed  side-board,  made  en 
tirely  of  iulaid  wood,  costing  $1,200.  The  upholstery  of  his  tall- 
backed  chairs  was  praised,  and  the  lateness  of  the  season  advert 
ed  to.  As  we  passed  through  ths  main  gambling  saloon,  an 
appearance  of  wild  delight  was  manifested  by  every  one  of  the 
three  employes ;  the  roulette  man  spun  his  ball  as  if  he  was 
playing  with  a  ghost  that  "bucked"  opposite;  the  faro  man 
drew  off  the  top  card  and  gravely  "coppered"  the  ace  all  by 
himself;  the  third  man  spun  a  round  check  at  something  invisi 
ble,  and  looked  alive  to  business.  If  these  were  temptations  to 
play,  I  put  them  by,  saying:  "It  would  take  a  man  as  dumb  as 
myself  two  years  to  understand  these  things."  "  Take  my  ad 
vice,"  said  Chamberlain,  "and  never  learn;  I  am  too  old  to  for 
get  them." 

We  took  an  omnibus  at  the  door,  and  the  host,  calling,  "Pete, 
come  with  me,"  jumped  in  with  us,  saying  he  had  a  visit  to  make 
down  the  beach  drive. 

"Master  Johnny,  is  you  going  off  in  de  night  air,  widout 
yo'  ovacoat?" 

He  put  it  over  the  gamester's  shoulders,  as  if  he  were  his 
fragile  and  best  beloved  daughter.  What  would  American  life 
be  without  the  negro's  loyalty  ? 

Gentle  reader,  if  you  have  learned  anything  regarding  the 
magnificence  and  gorgeous  fitting  up  of  our  aristocratic  skin- 
niug-houses,  and  the  sumptuous  manner  in  which  they  entertain 
their  guests,  from  the  foregoing  description  of  Johnny  Chamber 
lain  and  his  fashionable  "Maison  de  Jeu,"  at  Long  Branch, 
given  us  by  that  ethical  blatherskite  of  a  reporter,  I  am  satisfied 
for  the  present.  For  the  insertion  of  that  article  in  the  "  Chi 
cago  Times,1'  and  its  subsequent  transplanting  to  the  "  St.  Louis 
Democrat,"  Johnny  disbursed  at  least  the  round  sum  of  $150,  if 
not  $200. 

His  description  of  the  personnel  of  Johnny  Chamberlain  is  very 
good,  as  is  also  that  of  his  club  house  at  Long  Branch.  The 
statement  that  he  is  unmarried  is  incorrect.  He  is  married, 
and  also  indulges  in  the  aforementioned  voluptuous  looking  mis 
tress.  That  dangerous  cough,  which  so  deeply  aroused  the 
sympathies  of  our  blatherskite  reporter,  is  all  a  humbug ;  Cham 
berlain  has  the  constitution  of  an  ox,  and,  I  will  venture  to  say, 


SCENES  AT  LONG  BRANCH.  203 

has  not  the  remotest  idea  that  any  one  will  plant  him  for  many 
years  to  come.  After  a  hard  night's  debauch,  many  men  are 
troubled  with  a  cough,  and  such,  no  doubt,  was  the  origin  of  the 
one  with  which  Johnny  was  troubled  when  our  veracious  in 
formant  pretends  he  first  made  his  acquaintance— that  learned 
pundit,  who  informs  us  the  "splits  and  trumps"  are  sovereigns. 

"But  who  is  Johnny  Chamberlain?"  methinks  I  hear  the 
uninitiated  reader  inquire.  "What  is  the  reason  of  his  wonderful 
success  in  his  profession  ?  " 

Gentle  reader !  it  is  to  his  indomitable  energy,  brazen  impu 
dence,  and  a  two-card  faro-box.  His  first  appearance  in  public 
life  was  made  as  bar-tender  on  one  of  the  numerous  steamboats 
running  from  the  port  of  St.  Louis.  While  in  this  capacity,  he 
learned  the  rudiments  of  short  card  sharping  from  those  thieves, 
some  of  whom  never  failed  to  travel  on  every  river  steamer, 
and  made  himself  useful  to  them  in  their  search  for  suckers. 
He  assisted  them  in  making  up  their  games  from  among  the 
passengers,  and  then  rung  in  their  marked  cards  for  them, 
keeping  them  in  his  bar  until  wanted  for  use.  As  he  became 
farther  advanced,  he  insisted  on  an  equal  share  of  the  spoils, 
and  exacted  the  same  from  all  three-card-monte  throwers  who 
came  aboard  his  boat  to  ply  their  calling.  He  followed  up  this 
business  successfully  for  three  or  four  years,  and,  being  thrifty, 
accumulated  a  considerable  capital,  and  in  the  meantime  ob 
tained  an  insight  into  the  immense  profits  to  be  derived  from 
roping  suckers  to  brace  games.  Being  gifted  with  a  happy  fac 
ulty  of  commending  himself  to  strangers,  and  a  willingness  to 
spend  his  money  freely  whenever  he  thought  he  could  make 
ten  dollars  for  one  by  so  doing,  and  being  well  acquainted  with 
all  the  haunts  of  pleasure  and  vice  in  the  City  of  St.  Louis,  he 
made  a  capital  "roper-in"  for  a  two-card  box  establishment.  In 
his  mind's  eye,  he  marked  out  each  passenger  on  the  boat,  dur 
ing  her  trip  to  St.  Louis,  whom  he  thought  likely  to  prove  a 
profitable  subject  to  him,  and,  after  showing  him  the  "sights" 
of  the  city,  would  bring  him  up  standing  before  a  "brace  game," 
have  him  robbed,  and  afterwards  receive  half  the  plunder. 

Johnny  Chamberlain  shortly  became  known  amongst  sharpers, 
as  the  best  "roper-in"  in  the  city  of  St.  Louis,  and,  in  fact,  the 
best  in  all  the  West.  Partly  through  the  inducements  of  these, 
but  probably  much  more  through '  his  own  knowledge  of  the 


204  "WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

profits  and  advantages  of  a  skiuning-house,  he  threw  up  steam- 
boating,  and  opened  one  of  these  establishments  for  himself.  He 
was  obliged  to  take  with  him  an  operator,  because  he  was  totally 
unable  to  exercise  a  two-card  box  himself;  nor  do  I  believe  he 
can  cheat  at  any  of  the  games  played  for  niorey.  Even  could  he 
do  so,  his  functions  were  on  the  outside,  to  iure  customers  into 
his  den.  This  business  he  diligently  followed  up,  until  the  spring 
of  1864,  having  increased  his  store  of  wealth  thereby,  up  to  forty 
thousand  dollars,  and  by  his  audacity  and  energy  as  a  roper, 
gained  the  envy  of  all  the  sharpers  throughout  the  West.  Mean 
while,  however,  he  had  become  pretty  well  played  out  in  St. 
Louis;  so  much  so,  in  fact,  that  any  "  brace  dealer,"  having  any 
respect  for  his  future  bread  and  butter,  would  not  be  seen  with 
him  in  public.  Johnny  was  now  desirous  of  taking  the  money  he 
had  accumulated  with  him  to  New  York,  and  there  opening  an 
aristocratic  skinning-house.  Heretofore,  he  had  mixed  only 
among  second-class  sharpers;  he  was  now  anxious  to  be  ranked 
in  the  first  division  of  that  honorable  fraternity,  and  more  es 
pecially  among  those  of  New  York  city,  where  a  wider  field  was 
open  for  the  exercise  of  his  talents,  and  a  higher  goal  within 
reach  of  his  unbounded  ambition.  To  accomplish  his  desire,  it 
was  necessary  to  have  the  countenance  of  some  first-class  sharper. 
It  must  be  understood  that  not  even  the  Brahmins  themselves, 
nor  those  of  England's  aristocracy  who  claim  their  descent  from 
the  heroes  of  the  field  of  Hastings,  are  greater  sticklers  for  caste, 
than  the  American  sharper.  Powerful  as  is  money — and  its  in 
fluence  is  not  less  among  this  than  other  classes  of  mankind — 
it  has  in  many  cases  failed  in  launching  the  keeper  of  a 
second-class  skinning-house  within  that  magic  cordon  which 
separates  them  from  those  of  their  tribe  who  have  never  been 
interested  in  any  but  a  first-class  house  of  the  sort.  Johnny 
found  the  individual  he  was  seeking,  in  the  person  of  a  worthy 
gentleman  from  the  blue-grass  country  in  Kentucky,  who,  for 
many  years  previous  to  the  rebellion,  was  principal  proprietor  of 
one  of  the  most  fashionable  of  these  places  in  the  city  of  New 
Orleans.  When  Gen.  Butler  was  placed  in  command,  after  the 
capture  of  the  city  by  the  Federal  forces,  he  allowed  no  card- 
sharping  within  his  dominions,  in  consequence  of  which,  the  aris 
tocratic  skinuing-house  at  No.  4  Carondolet  street,  belonging  to 
Mr.  McGrath,  was  closed.  When  Gen.  Butler  was  superseded  hi 


SCENES  AT  LONG  BEANCH.  205 

command  of  the  city,  Mr.  McGrath  left  his  home  in  the  blue- 
grass  country,  and  went  again  to  New  Orleans,  with  the  inten 
tion  of  again  opening  his  house  there;  but  his  first  attempt  at 
doing  so  caused  his  arrest  and  incarceration  in  the  parish  prison, 
where  he  was  kept  for  more  than  a  year  by  the  Federal  authori 
ties.  On  regaining  his  liberty,  he  made  the  best  of  his  way  to  St. 
Louis,  where  he  arrived  without  a  dollar.  Being  one  of  the  best 
ropers  in  the  country,  and  a  man  of  distinguished  parts  in  a 
fashionable  skinning-house,  which  means  that  he  could  black 
guard  his  victims  into  playing  whether  they  wished  to  or  not, 
besides  being  acquainted  with  many  of  the  Border  States  men, 
who  had  flocked  to  New  York  to  speculate  in  gold  and  stocks, 
McGrath  was  the  "open  sesame"  that  Johnny  Chamberlain  re 
quired.  Together  they  started  for  New  York,  where  they  arrived 
in  the  winter  of  1864.  They  soon  discovered  that,  to  obtain  a 
desirable  house  in  a  suitable  location,  and  fit  it  up,  and  furnish  it 
in  a  manner  fit  to  enable  them  to  hold  their  own  among  first- 
class  establishments  of  the  sort,  would  require  more  money  than 
Chamberlain  could  command.  McGrath  now  induced  two  of  the 
wealthiest  sharpers  in  New  York  to  enter  into  partnership  with 
them.  They  bought  a  splendid  residence  near  the  Fifth  Avenue 
Hotel,  and  fitted  it  up  in  so  gorgeous  and  magnificent  a  style, 
that  its  equal  had  never  been  seen  in  the  city,  and  I  doubt  if  in 
any  other.  It  is  said  that  the  furnishing  and  fitting  up  alone 
cost  over  sixty  thousand  dollars.  It  is  reported  that,  within  four 
months  after  the  opening  of  the  house,  it  made  within  the  neigh 
borhood  of  a  million  of  dollars,  and  it  is  more  than  probable  that 
such  was  the  case.  Among  its  patrons  were  wealthy  contractors, 
high  city  officials,  stock-brokers,  and  other  speculators,  many  ol 
whom  were  making  their  thousands  per  day  in  the  exciting 
period  of  speculation,  and  some  of  them  at  a  single  sitting  drop 
ped  against  the  two-card  boxes  of  Chamberlain  &  Co.  as  high 
as  fifty  thousand  dollars. 

The  firm  did  not  get  along  harmoniously  together,  and  a  dis 
solution  took  place.  McGrath  and  Chamberlain  withdrew  from 
it  and  the  former  returned  to  the  blue-grass  country  in  Kentucky, 
where  he  invested  his  money  in  a  large  stock  farm.  Johnny  now 
opened  an  establishment  on  his  own  hook,  fitting  it  up  in  the 
most  extravagant  style.  This  place,  for  which  be  paid  an  annual 
rent  of  $8,000,  was  located  on  Twenty-fourth  Street,  near  Broad-* 


206  WANDERINGS  OP  A  VAGABOND. 

way,  one  of  the  most  fashionable  localities  in  the  city.  The 
monthly  expenses  of  running  this  establishment  averaged $4,000. 
On  every  night,  except  Sunday,  a  table  might  be  found  there, 
which,  for  the  rarity,  diversity,  and  choiceness  of  its  viands, 
wines,  and  liquors,  the  elegance  of  its  appearance,  and  the 
excellence  of  its  cuisine,  could  not  be  surpassed  by  any  in  the 
world.  This  luxurious  establishment  and  its  recherche  en 
tertainments  were  kept  up  on  the  strength  of  a  two-card  box. 
The  best  any  one  ever  yet  received  there  was  two  cards,  or  "fif 
ty-four/'  and  he  must  be  a  very  suspicious  individual,  indeed, 
who  received  as  good.  On  opening  his  house  he  had  to  contend 
against  the  envy,  and  in  many  cases  with  the  open  enmity,  of 
the  proprietors  of  first-class  "  skinning-houses,"  who  were  jeal 
ous  of  him,  and  who  used  every  effort  and  underhand  method 
they  could  devise  to  prevent  his  success.  But  his  indomitable 
energy  and  assurance  overcame  all  obstacles  and  won  the  day. 
The  proprietors  and  clerks  of  the  principal  hotels  in  the  vicinity 
of  his  place  were  nearly  all  ropers-in  for  it,  the  majority  without 
having  the  remotest  idea  of  its  character.  He  commended  him 
self  to  the  favor  of  many  of  the  highest  of  the  city  officials,  and 
his  house  became  their  resort,  where  the  finest  of  wines  and  the 
choicest  of  luxurious  feeding  awaited  them,  with  the  hospitable 
smile  of  Johnny  for  a  welcome.  Beyond  this,  he  has  no  enter 
taining  qualities,  for  he  is  as  ignorant  as  an  ass  of  everything 
outside  of  his  business.  He  is,  however,  wise  enough  to  know 
when  to  hold  his  tongue,  when  to  smile,  and  at  whose  jokes  to 
laugh,  and  at  a  single  glance  can  tell  a  "  blood  "  from  a  "  gray- 
back." 

All  his  tribe,  whenever  they  have  established  a  foothold,  their 
great  desire  is  to  gain  a  position  on  the  turf,  either  by  owning  a 
stable  of  racers  or  having  an  interest  in  some  race-course.  It 
gives  to  them  the  aroma  of  respectability,  and  throws  them  into 
the  company  of  wealthy  persons  whom  they  can  rope  into  their 
"  skinning  dens,"  and  there  rob  them.  Johnny  was  by  no  means 
false  to  his  order.  He  got  up  a  racing  association  and  opened  a 
magnificent  race-course  at  Long  Branch,  which  is  unsurpassed 
by  anything  of  the  sort  in  the  country,  and  has  proven  itself  a 
great  success. 

A  year  or  so  before  he  opened  this  course,  he  fitted  up  his 
magnificent  "  Maison  de  Jeu  "  at  the  Branch,  which  has  been  so 


SECOND-CLASS  SKTNNING-HOUSES.  207 

graphically  described  by  our  friend,  the  reporter.  The  season  of 
its  opening  it  cleared  $60,000,  and  in  no  season  since  has  it 
cleared  less  than  $30,000.  His  friend,  Henry  P.  McGrath,  is 
again  with  him  in  this  house,  and  comes,  to  rope-in  for  it,  every 
season,  from  Kentucky.  In  addition  to  his  other  extravagances, 
Johnny  keeps  a  steam  yacht,  in  order  that  he  may  indulge  his 
patrons  with  a  sail  down  the  bay,  if  they  desire  it,  or  take  them 
on  a  fishing  excursion,  or  clam-bake,  whenever  they  fancy  such 
a  relaxation.  Verily,  reader,  what  do  you  think  now  of  "  splits 
and  trumps  being  sovereigns"? 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

SECOND-CLASS   "  SKINNING-HOTJSES  " 

Are  not  generally  fitted  up  and  furnished  in  the  gorgeous  and 
magnificent  style  of  those  just  described.  Still,  in  New  York, 
Philadelphia,  and  Washington,  there  are  some  splendidly  deco 
rated  establishments  of  this  kind.  None  of  these,  however,  en 
tertain  their  guests  to  suppers  or  refreshments  of  any  kind,  with 
the  exception  of  liquors.  Some  of  them,  it  is  true,  have  tables 
set  out  and  arranged  handsomely,  but  they  are  only  a  sham, 
and  no  food  is  set  upon  them  unless  some  extra  fat  customers  are 
in  one  of  the  dens,  giving  up  their  money  freely  to  a  two-card 
box.  In  such  a  case  a  supper  is  ordered  from  some  neighboring 
restaurant,  and  the  verdant  guests  are  fed  and  wined  sumptuous 
ly  ;  or  it  may  sometimes  happen  that  an  important  roper,  having 
his  eye  on  one  or  more  fat  "  gulls,"  may  desire  to  invite  them 
round  to  the  club  to  sup  with  him.  In  such  a  case  a  supper  is 
duly  ordered  from  the  restaurant  for  the  expected  guests.  But 
the  only  capital  required  to  start  a  second-class  skinning-house, 
or,  as  they  are  more  generally  termed  a  "  brace  game,"  is  suffi 
cient  money  to  hire  a  room,  put  in  a  faro-table,  a  side-board,  a 
dozen  or  two  of  chairs,  and  a  carpet ;  but  the  latter  luxury  is 
sometimes  dispensed  with.  The  "brace  "  dealer  needs  not  one 
dollar  after  he  is  ready  to  open  his  game.  His  rounds,  two-card 
box,  and  case-keeper,  is  all  the  stock  the  bank  requires.  If  some 
of  these  sharpers  fit  up  and  furnish  their  "brace"  rooms  on  a 


208  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

grander  scale  than  others,  it  is  only  to  give  to  them  a  more  re 
spectable  appearance.  The  " personnel"  of  a  brace  game 
consists  of  an  "artist,"  a  case-keeper,  three  or  four  "cap 
pers,"  and  some  steerers  or  ropers ;  the  last  two  of  which  fre 
quently  exchange  roles,  or  act  in  either,  as  the  case  may  require. 

The  head  of  this  delectable  concern  is  the  master-sharper  who 
furnishes  the  money  for  fitting  up  the  room.  He  is  generally  a 
superior  roper,  and  spends  the  greater  portion  of  his  time  hang 
ing  about  hotels,  coffee-houses,  billiard-rooms,  and  other  public 
places,  hunting  up  "suckers"  for  the  purpose  of  decoying  them 
to  his  den  to  be  robbed.  Next  to  him  comes  the  "  artist,"  whose 
duty  it  is  to  be  at  all  times  in  the  house,  ready  to  operate  on  any 
"sucker"  who  may  drop  in  accidentally,  or  be  roped  in  by  the 
attaches  of  the  establishment. 

The  case-keeper  isaman  who  keeps  the  case-box,  and  whenever 
the  "artist"  takes  two  cards,  secretly  marks  it  up.  I  shall  here 
describe  his  duties,  which  stand  second  to  those  required  of  the 
"artist."  Each  card,  as  it  is  run  off  from  the  dealing-box,  is 
marked  by  the  case-keeper.  Suppose  two  cards  are  "taken" 
as  one,  the  top  one  only  being  visible ;  the  result  would  be,  un 
less  there  were  some  means  of  letting  the  case-keeper  know 
what  the  card  was,  he  could  not  mark  it;  consequently  the 
swindle  would  be  detected  at  the  end  of  the  deal.  But  the 
"artist"  is  equal  to  this  emergency.  On  the  lower  right  hand  end 
of  the  losing  cards,  as  the  pack  lies  before  the  dealer  in  the  box, 
the  denomination  is  indicated  by  a  dot  precisely  the  same  as  I 
have  described  the  dots  in  rounds  on  the  winning  cards.  When 
the  "artist"  finds  it  necessary  to  pull  two  cards  from  the  box  at 
once,  he  does  not  know,  before  doing  so,  the  name  of  the  buried 
card.  The  moment  the  cards  are  dropped  on  the  pile,  the  under 
card,  being  a  trifle  longer  than  that  above  it,  reveals  its  name 
to  the  dealer  by  the  dot  on  its  corner.  By  a  system  of  telegraph 
ing,  as  laying  one  finger  on  the  end  of  the  box,  or  on  its  middle, 
or  one  at  each  end,  or  two  fingers  in  various  positions,  he  lets 
the  case-keeper  know  the  name  of  it,  who  quietly  slips  up  the 
button  while  the  eyes  of  the  "suckers"  are  elsewhere. 

"Ropers"  or  "steerers,"  and  "cappers,"  as  I  said  before, 
occupy  interchangeable  positions.  A  roper  is  a  man  who 
operates  outside,  and  fishes  for  "  suckers."  His  business  is  to 
capture  some  verdant  individual,  and  decoy  him  to  the  "brace 


SECOND-CLASS  SKINNING-HOUSES.  209 

rooms."  In  ninety-nine  cases  out  of  every  hundred,  steerers 
and  cappers  for  ''brace  games"  are  the  most  disreputable 
loafers  in  existence.  They  are  men  devoid  of  decency,  honor, 
or  a  single  redeeming  quality.  They  are  nearly  always  dead 
broke,  and  are  so  mean  as  to  be  despised  by  the  proprietors  of 
the  "brace  games,"  which  they  serve,  and  their  "artists." 
During  the  day,  they  haunt  bar  saloons,  billiard-halls,  street 
corners,  and  low  brothels.  Many  of  them  belong  to  the  class 
described  as  "hangers-on"  of  the  rougher  class  of  gambling- 
rooms;  and  of  all  human  beings,  none  are  lower,  meaner,  or  more 
contemptible.  Occasionally,  however,  are  to  be  found  among 
them,  men  of  good  appearance,  affable  manners,  capable  of 
commending  themselves  to  strangers,  and  these  are  the  valuable 
decoys  for  "brace  games."  The  "steerer"  is  perpetually  on1 
the  look-out  for  verdant  people  who  possess  money.  He  frequents 
theatres,  hotels,  coffee-houses  and  other  public  places,  for  that 
purpose,  and  if  he  can  find  one  whom  he  regards  as  a  promising 
subject,  he  will  use  every  endeavor  to  make  his  acquaintance. 
Frequently  a  game  of  billiards  is  proposed,  and  during  its  pro 
gress  the  acquaintance  of  the  "  sucker"  is  assiduously  cultivated. 
The  fifteen-ball  pool -tables  are  favorite  angling  places  for  these 
gentry,  and  it  is  a  rare  thing  to  be  about  one  without  seeing  a 
steerer  engaged  in  play  with  some  country  merchant  or  other 
verdant  fool  with  more  money  than  brains,  and  who  has  conse 
quently  allowed  the  former  fact  to  leak  out. 

When  the  "  steerer"  thinks  matters  are  ripe  for  it,  he  carelessly 
remarks  to  his  victim,  "Well,  I  must  quit;  I've  got  to  go  around 
to  the  club  house.  I  made  a  pretty  good  winning  there  last 
night,  and  they  want  a  chance  to  get  even." 

The  "sucker,"  having  probably  by  this  time  imbibed  liquor 
sufficient  to  make  him  feel  a  trifle  reckless,  and  the  remark 
about  the  winning  having  somewhat  excited  his  cupidity  and 
curiosity,  he  inquires,  ''What  club  house?" 

"  Oh,"  returns  the  steerer,  "  it's  a  place  where  a  few  gentlemen 
and  board  of  trade  men  meet  every  evening,  to  have  a  little 
game." 

The  "  sucker"  thinks,  where  board  of  trade  men  and  gentle 
men  meet  must  be  all  right,  consequently  he  is  all  ready  to 
answer  affirmatively  when  the  steerer  says,  "Won't  you  walk 
around  ?  JThey  have  some  mighty  fine  brandy  there.  You 


210  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

needn't  play.  Let's  go  around  and  have  a  good  drink  of  liquor, 
anyhow." 

The  victim  thinks  it  looks  all  right.  He'll  go  and  see  the 
elephant  and  get  a  drink;  he  needn't  play,  of  course,  unless  he 
wishes.  And  so  he  accompanies  the  steerer  to  the  "  brace  room." 

Let  us  now  take  a  peep  into  the  brace  room,  while  the  steerer 
and  his  victim  are  on  their  way  to  it.  The  room  is  brilliantly 
lighted  up.  The  "artist"  sits  behind  the  table,  mechanically 
shuffling,  cutting,  and  butting  in,  a  pack  of  cards. 

Scattered  about  the  room,  in  various  attitudes,  are  some 
half-dozeu  or  more  men — one  or  two  of  whom  are  asleep  on  the 
sofas — and  several  others  playing  casino,  cribbage,  or  some  game 
of  the  sort.  The  principal  subjects  under  discussion  are  the 
"merits  of  this  or  that  prostitute,  or  perhaps  one  relates,  hi 
choice  slang,  garnished'  with  an  occasional  oath,  his  exploits  of 
the  evening  previous,  and  informs  the  company  how  much  I  win, 
never  in  any  case  using  the  word  in  a  past  tense.  Possibly  the 
conversation  turns  on  the  excellencies  of  this  or  that  dealer,  the 
exploits  of  trotting-horses,  or  any  kindred  subject.  Their  lan 
guage  is  always  slangy,  indecent,  and  blasphemous.  Presently 
there  is  a  ring  at  the  door-bell.  The  negro  servant  answers  it, 
and  one  of  the  steerers  enters  alone,  his  single  ring  at  the  bell 
indicating  that  he  had  no  victim. 

After  a  moment  or  two  the  bell  is  again  rung  twice  in  rapid 
succession.  Presto!  In  an  instant  everything  is  changed. 
The  "  artist"  slides  his  cards  into  the  box.  The  cappers  gather 
round  the  table.  Stacks  of  checks  are  passed  to  each  of  them, 
bets  are  put  on  the  cards,  the  deal  has  begun;  when  enter  the 
"  steerer"  from  the  billiard  room,  and  his  gull.  "  The  gentlemen 
and  board  of  trade  men"  are  deeply  engaged  in  playing. 

The  steerer  takes  a  stack  of  checks  and  commences  to  play, 
while  the  sucker  sits  down  behind  him  to  watch  the  game.  The 
former  wins,  of  course.  The  cupidity  of  his  victim  is  excited;  he 
readily  sees  into  the  game  if  he  did  not  before  understand  it,  and 
begins  to  be  anxious  to  win  himself.  The  dealer  grumbles 
occasionally  about  its  being  a  bad  night  for  the  bank,  and  affirms, 
with  an  oath,  that  everybody's  beating  him.  Some  "capper" 
relates  how  a  man  went  into  some  bank  this  afternoon  with  a 
$5  bill  and  broke  the  concern,  carrying  off  about  $2,500.  A 
drink  or  two  having  been  by  this  time  administered  to  the 


SECOND-CLASS  SKINNING-HOUSES.       .  211 

"•sucker,"  he  is  quite  ready  to  acquiesce,  when  his  "friend," 
the  "steerer,"  passing  over  to  him  a  stack  of  checks,  addresses 
him  with,  "Here's  ten  dollars7  worth  of  chips;  put  in  another  ten 
with  it,  and  we'll  try  our  luck  together,  by  jingo !  We'll  go 
halves,  win  or  lose." 

The  proposition  is  apparently  a  fair  enough  one.  He  puts  in 
his  $10  and  loses.  He  puts  in  then  another  $10  to  retrieve  his 
first,  and  again  loses,  and  continues  to  do  so  until  he  is  cleaned 
out.  When  this  is  accomplished  the  " cappers"  gradually  with 
draw,  and  the  game  breaks  up. 

A  dozen  of  suckers  may  be  playing  at  the  same  time,  under 
the  guidance  of  as  many  different  steerers.  A  competent  artist 
will  manage  that  number  as  easily  as  one. 

The  game  being  ended,  the  steerer  leaves  the  house  with  his 
fleeced  victim,  and,  when  he  has  shaken  him  off,  which  he  does 
as  soon  as  possible,  he  returns  to  the  den  for  his  division  of  the 
spoils.  Ten  per  cent,  goes  to  the  case-keeper,  forty-five  per 
cent,  goes  to  the  bank,  and  forty-five  per  cent,  to  the  "steerer," 
who  brought  the  victim. 

This  is  the  division  made,  unless  the  "sucker"  happens  to  be 
some  influential  person,  and  fleeced  while  drunk,  and  who,  when 
sober,  will  "  squeal "  for  his  money.  In  such  a  case,  the  bank  re 
tains  all  the  money  for  a  few  days,  until  they  see  what  the  victim 
intends  to  do.  If  he  remains  quiet,  it  is  divided;  if  he  "  squeals,'' 
or  threatens  them  with  the  law  to  get  it  back,  it  is  returned  to 
him,  either  in  part  or  the  whole,  as  he  can  be  induced  to  settle. 

The  forty-five  per  cent,  which  goes  to  the  house  belongs  to  the 
proprietor;  out  of  which  he  gives  his  "artist"  his  share,  after 
the  expenses  of  the  establishment  are  paid.  |This  worthy  gets 
generally  about  twenty-five  per  cent,  in  second-class  skinniug- 
houses.  The  cappers  get  only  whatever  the  bank  chooses  to  give 
them,  three  or  four  dollars  each,  according  to  the  length  of 
time  they  were  employed,  and  that  only  in  a  long  game  with 
heavy  winnings. 

All  second-class  skinning-houses  use  nothing  but  rounds  and 
strippers.  Not  one  of  their  proprietors  would  bank  a  game 
dealt  by  the  best  "fifty-four"  player  in  the  country.  He  might 
lose,  and  nothing  could  have  a  more  disastrous  effect  on  the 
internal  economy  of  the  keeper  of  a  second-class  skinning-house. 
They  play  for  roped  games;  one  half  of  the  winnings  go  to  the 


212  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

"steerer,"  after  ten  per  cent,  has  been  deducted  for  the  case- 
keeper,  from  the  full  amount  fleeced  from  the  vcitim.  These 
houses  are  conducted  on  the  same  principle  as  when  first  estab 
lished,  thirty  years  ago,  except  they  are  furnished  more  gorgeously 
and  the  keepers  of  them  have  now  less  fear  of  intrusion  from  the 
police  than  formerly.  They  have  discovered  the  strength  of 
political  influence,  and  themselves  and  their  satellites  generally 
vote  in  a  body  for  such  magistrates  as  they  think  likeliest  to 
favor  their  thieving  operations.  It  would  be  impossible  to  give 
anything  like  a  correct  estimate  of  the  number  of  places  of  this 
sort  at  present  in  this  country.  Before  the  close  of  our  civil  war, 
it  is  possible  that,  throughout  the  country,  as  many  as  two 
hundred  established  robbing  dens  of  this  sort  were  in  operation 
throughout  the  land,  including  both  North  and  South;  but  at 
the  present  time  probably  not  more  than  one  hundred  could  be 
found.  They  increase  and  decrease  according  to  the  times,  and 
more  particularly  with  the  amount  of  money  in  circulation.  They 
are  located  exclusively  in  our  large  commercial  cities.  Small 
towns  will  not  support  a  skinning  game ;  but  there  are  points  of 
transient  visits,  whenever  the  sharpers  learn  of  a  place  where 
any  fat  subjects  may  be  found,  that  may  be  robbed  with  a  two- 
card  box.  It  is  possible  that  the  city  of  New  York  contains  fif 
teen  established  second-class  skinning-houses,  that  do  not  set 
suppers,  and  that  do  play  for  "roped  games.1'  These  are  located 
on  Broadway  or  on  the  cross-streets  not  far  from  it,  and  always 
within  a  short  distance  of  the  first-class  hotels.  Philadelphia 
supports  from  four  to  six  of  these  delectable  institutions;  Balti 
more  one  or  two ;  Boston,  two  or  three;  Washington  City,  during  a 
session  of  Congress,  from  four  to  five ;  Richmond,  two  or  three ; 
Charleston,  during  the  winter  season,  one ;  Savannah,  two  or  three; 
Augusta,  two;  Atlanta,  two;  Montgomery,  one;  Mobile,  four; 
New  Orleans,  from  three  to  five ;  Memphis,  two  or  three ;  Nash 
ville,  one  or  two;  Louisville, four  or  five;  Cincinnati,  two  or  three; 
Indianapolis,  generally  two;  St.  Louis,  from  three  to  four;  Chica 
go,  about  the  same;  Kansas  City,  two  or  more;  Leaveuworth, 
one;  Omaha,  one;  St.  Joseph,  one;  Denver,  one  or  two;  St.  Paul, 
the  same;  Pittsburgh,  Toledo,  Columbus,  Cleveland,  Buffalo, 
Rochester,  Syracuse,  Saratoga,  Albany,  Providence,  and  other 
cities  of  the  same  size,  have  at  least  one  "  brace-house  "  each,  and 
sometimes  more,  which  depends  on  the  moneyed  u  suckers  "  either 


SECOND-CLASS   SKINNING-HOUSES.  213 

living  or  transiently  stopping  in  them.  Nearly  every  capital  seat 
in  the  country  can  boast  of  at  least  one  brace-house,  during  the 
session  of  the  legislature. 

The  Pacific  slope  has  been  free  from  these  nuisances  during 
the  last  ten  years,  so  also  have  the  principal  towns  in  our  terri 
tories.  This  has  been  entirely  due  to  the  determined  hostility 
shown  towards  the  sharpers  and  their  practices,  by  the  gamblers 
resident  in  those  places. 

During  the  building  of  the  Pacific  Railroad,  the  sharpers 
followed  it  up  step  by  step,  from  Omaha  to  Salt  Lake  City,  and 
beyond,  and  in  every  mushroom  town  that  sprung  up  along  the 
route,  like  Jonah's  gourd,  in  a  night  they  built  gambling-houses 
in  which  could  be  found  nothing  but  thieving  games.  At  one 
time,  along  the  line  of  this  road,  at  least  three  hundred  sharpers 
were  operating,  with  their  ropers,  cappers,  and  other  stand-byes, 
all  of  whom  were  engaged  in  conducting  such  games  or  frauds 
as  waxed  card  monte,  snapper  roulettes,  marked  cards  "vingt- 
et-un,"  red  and  black  lottery,  and  three-card  rnonte.  On  all 
the  railroads  building  at  this  time,  or  that  will  be  commenced 
west  of  the  Missouri  and  Mississippi  rivers,  are  or  will  be  found 
these  pests  of  society,  practicing  their  swindling  arts  on  the  un 
wary,  and  they  will  not  cease  to  do  so,  until  the  legislatures  pass 
severe  laws  for  the  purpose  of  punishing,  as  they  deserve,  frauds 
at  gambling. 

PATENT  DEALERS  OR  ARTISTS. 

Of  the  different  methods  of  cheating  at  faro,  none  have  been 
invented  by  sharpers,  or  even  gamblers,  but  have  principally 
emanated  from  the  brains  of  mechanics.  The  fruits  of  their 
genius  were  eagerly  seized  upon  by  the  sharper,  the  price  paid 
being  generally  the  furnishing  of  capital  to  test  the  new  work, 
and  division  of  the  profits  with  the  inventor,  if  successful. 

The  first  requisite  was  a  suitable  person  to  work  the  invention. 
The  inventor  might  create,  and  the  sharper  might  fully  under 
stand  the  value  of  his  production,  and  where  it  might  be  made 
most  profitable ;  but  neither  were  able  to  execute  the  necessary 
maneuvers,  even  on  the  most  verdant  player,  not  to  mention  a 
party  of  suspicious  gamblers.  At  least  no  instance  of  the  kind 
has  ever  fallen  under  my  observation.  There  is  scarcely  to  be 
found  at  the  present  time,  a  single  keeper  of  a  first  or  second- 


214  WANDERINGS  OP  A  VAGABOND. 

class  skinning-house,  who  can  manipulate  a  two-card  box,  or,  in 
fact,  any  of  those  tricks  at  faro,  which  are  constantly  in  use 
there.  These  operators,  or  "artists,"  as  they  are  termed,  are,  as 
a  general  thing,  young  men,  some  but  little  better  than  boys, 
but  averaging  from  eighteen  to  twenty-five,  who  have  been 
picked  up  and  educated  by  master  sharpers  for  this  purpose. 
They  are  trained  with  the  greatest  care,  until  they  are  made 
perfect  hi  the  role  required  of  them,  and  which  they  must  play 
before  an  observing,  and  perhaps  suspicious  audience.  The 
least  lack  of  skill,  the  slightest  want  of  confidence  in  themselves, 
or  the  most  trifling  mistake,  would  be  certain  to  lead  to  the  de 
tection  of  the  fraud.  Plenty  of  men  have  learned  the  science  of 
pulling  two  cards,  shuffling,  stripping,  and  stocking  a  trimmed 
pack  to  perfection,  and  can  do  it  in  an  unexceptionable  man 
ner  before  those  of  their  own  ilk,  but  place  them  before  even 
the  most  verdant,  who  are  to  be  taken  in  by  the  maneuver,  and 
they  lose  all  confidence  in  themselves,  and  are  totally  unable  to 
operate  upon  them.  It  requires  years  of  constant  practice  for 
the  most  of  men  to  become  accomplished  brace  dealers.  Occa 
sionally,  one  reaches  pre-eminence  in  his  profession,  in  a  year  or 
so,  but  such  is  not  often  the  case.  Whenever  one  becomes 
more  than  commonly  skillful,  his  fame  soon  spreads  among  those 
of  his  tribe,  and  he  is  eagerly  sought  after  by  the  master-sharp 
ers  throughout  the  land. 

The  "artists"  are  generally  taken  from  among  the  cappers,  or 
case-keepers,  if  any  of  them  show  aptitude  for  the  profession. 
At  first  these  individuals  demanded  half  the  plunder,  but  as 
their  numbers  increased,  their  interest  in  the  games  they  dealt 
gradually  became  smaller.  They  receive  at  the  present  time  in 
second-class  houses,  from  one-third  to  one-fourth  of  the  profits, 
and  in  first-class  houses,  ten  to  fifteen  per  cent.  In  some  aris 
tocratic  establishments,  as  for  instance  that  of  Chamberlain,  at 
No.  8  Twenty-fifth  street,  and  at  Saratoga,  they  receive  a  fixed 
salary  of  $75  per  week  with  board  and  lodging.  The  increase  in 
the  number  of  these  dealers,  and  the  decrease  in  the  number  of 
houses  of  this  sort  since  the  war,  has  induced  the  boss- sharpers 
to  take  advantage  of  their  artists  in  this  respect,  or,  in  other 
words,  has  compelled  them  to  "steal"  for  wages. 

These  persons,  or  very  few  of  them,  outside  their  brace-deal 
ing  ability,  have  never  shown  any  skill  as  card-players,  and  very 


SECONTD-CLASS  SKIXXING -HOUSES,  215 

little  or  no  business  capacity.  Were  they  thrifty,  they  might 
be  masters,  instead  of  slaves  in  their  profession ;  because  their 
money  could  purchase  them  an  equal  interest  in  the  frauds 
which  they  operate ;  but  they  are  not.  Money  is  a  burden  to 
them,  and  if  they  possess  it,  they  are  restless  until  they  play  it 
off  against  faro,  or  lose  it  in  betting  on  horse-racing,  or  spend  it 
extravagantly  on  themselves  or  abandoned  women.  They  take 
no  thought  for  the  morrow,  but  literally  leave  it  to  take  heed  for 
the  things  of  itself.  Of  the  many  who  have  sprung  up  since  the 
invention  of  brace-dealing,  not  a  dozen  out  of  the  number  have 
had  forethought  enough  to  secure  to  themselves  a  home,  or*  any 
provision  against  a  rainy  day ;  though  among  them  are  but  few 
that  might  not  have  accumulated  a  handsome  competency. 
When  impoverished  and  out  of  employ,  which,  with  them,  are 
synonymous  terms,  they  are  the  most  miserable  creatures  on  the 
face  of  the  earth. 

ROPERS    AXD    CAPPERS    OF    ARISTOCRATIC    SETfTNTN-G-HOUSES. 

These  houses,  as  I  have  already  mentioned,  are  always  loca 
ted  in  large  cities,  or  crowded  watering-places.  At  one  time, 
during  the  war,  New  York  supported  as  many  as  ten,  and  now 
can  boast  of  four.  Washington  has  every  winter,  up  to  1870, 
supported  from  four  to  five,  but  the  scarcity  of  moneyed  suckers 
has  induced  them  to  sell  out,  and  abandon  the  place  in  disgust, 
and  ''Ichabod"  may  now  be  written  above  their  former  gran 
deur.  They  are  generally  temporarily  opened  at  the  State 
capitals  during  sessions  of  the  legislature,  for  the  accommodation 
of  such  wealthy  law-makers  as  desire  to  make  or  renew  the  ac 
quaintance  of  the  "tiger."  Immediately  after  the  war,  three 
were  furnished  and  fitted  up  in  New  Orleans,  in  the  most  gor 
geous  style,  by  some  enterprising  spirits  who  bore  in  mind  the 
lavish  manner  in  which  wealthy  merchants  and  planters  had 
formerly  dropped  their  money  on  the  green  tables,  but  these 
were  now  impoverished,  and  the  sharpers  soon  discovered  that 
a  single  house  was  all  that  city  would  support.  Previous  to  the 
war,  Charleston  was  every  winter  blessed  with  a  magnificently 
appointed  skinning-house,  but  since  that  little  "unpleasantness," 
the  sharping  gentry  have  found  but  thin  grazing  there,  and 
have  abandoned  it  entirely.  Savannah  still  supports  a  fashiona- 


216        .  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

ble  den,  which  is  considered  one  of  the  best  paying  institutions 
of  the  sort  in  the  country. 

For  more  than  thirty  years,  Saratoga  has  supported  a  highly 
aristocratic  Maison  de  Jeu  of  this  species.  During  the  war,  as 
many  as  three  flourished  here,  but  the  business  is  at  present 
conducted  by  a  party  of  sharpers  who  have  monopolized  every 
thing  in  their  line,  to  the  utter  exclusion  of  their  brethren,  and 
who  have  there  built  and  furnished  one  of  the  most  magnificent 
of  these  houses  to  be  found  in  the  world. 

Of  their  artists  and  cappers,  the  former  are  paid  from  $40  to 
$79*  per  week,  and  the  latter,  as  is  everywhere  customary,  are 
dependent  on  the  generosity  of  the  bankers. 

Newport  has  enjoyed  for  thirty  years  a  skinning-house,  which, 
if  reports  are  true,  has  been  a  very  profitable  one  to  its  owners. 
One  of  its  principals,  James  Watson,  died  a  short  time  since, 
leaving  an  estate  worth  about  $250,000. 

It  is  only  since  the  commencement  of  our  civil  war  that  a  first- 
class  house  of  this  sort  has  been  fitted  up  at  Cape  May,  but 
every  season  the  place  was  visited  by  nomadic  sharpers  from  the 
large  cities,  who  operated  in  their  rooms  at  the  hotels.  But  a 
party  of  prominent  Philadelphia  sharpers,  seeing  how  popular 
the  place  was  becoming  as  a  summer  resort,  and  the  numbers 
who  flock  there  during  that  season,  at  once  divined  how  advan 
tageous  a  business  might  be  done  there,  and  bought  and  magnif 
icently  furnished  a  residence  for  that  purpose,  where  they 
entertain  sumptuously  such  members  of  the  moneyocracy  as 
call  upon  them,  for  which  they  collect  their  score,  with  a  two- 
card  box. 

Every  aristocratic  skinning-house  has  its  aristocratic  loafers  to 
"cap"  its  games,  who,  from  time  to  time,  receive  the  acknow 
ledgments  of  the  proprietors,  in  the  shape  of  a  five  or  ten  dollar 
bill.  Occasionally,  when  employed  for  a  long  time,  and  the  bank 
has  made  an  unusually  large  stake,  even  twenty  or  twenty-five 
dollars  may  be  given  to  each  of  them.  As  the  case-keeper  stands 
a  grade  higher,  in  these  mansions,  he  is  more  munificently  paid 
than  these  gentlemen ;  but  in  most  houses  he  is  entirely  depend 
ent  on  the  generosity  of  his  employer.  In  some,  however,  he 
receives  a  regular  salary,  as  those  houses  I  have  mentioned  in 
New  York  and  Saratoga.  The  case -keepers  and  cappers  are 
usually  changed  as  often  as  once  every  month,  in  order  that  their 


SECOND-CLASS  SKINNING-HOTJSES.  217 

continual  presence  about  the  game  may  not  excite  suspicion 
among  its  habitues.  Aside  from  the  proprietor  of  these  brace 
games,  their  ropers  are  often  lawyers,  doctors,  brokers,  horse- 
dealers,  merchants  of  all  descriptions,  hotel  and  coffee-house 
proprietors,  and  others  engaged  in  public  life,  all  of  whom  have 
undergone  the  ordeal  of  a  two-card  box  before  becoming  such. 
These  immaculate  gentlemen  are  careful  of  their  reputation, 
and  allow  none,  except  the  proprietor  of  the  house  for  which 
they  are  operating,  to  suspect  their  true  calling.  They  seldom 
meddle  with  any,  except  those  dupes  who  have  their  thousands 
ready  and  willing  to  hand  over  to  a  two-card  box,  and  such  as 
are  certain  to  make  no  loud  complaints  after  their  losses.  This 
class  of  fastidious  ropers  only  introduce  their  victims  to  the  dens, 
though  they  may,  on  some  occasions,  cap  the  game,  by  way  of 
encouragement  to  their  dupes  to  play.  Half  a  dozen  of  these 
may  meet  in  one  of  these  houses,  each  with  his  "gull,"  without 
having  the  remotest  suspicion  of  each  other's  calling. 

The  next  on  the  list  is  the  practical  roper.  He  is  a  man  who 
has  been  well  raised  and  who  moves  in  good  society,  and  has  an 
extensive  acquaintance  among  business  men,  and  men  of  wealth 
generally.  He  bets  on  races  and  on  short  games  of  cards  with 
amateurs.  He  is  fond  of  display,  liberal  with  his  money,  of 
agreeable  manners  and  easy  address,  and  has  such  other  ac 
complishments  as  will  easily  entrap  men  devoted  to  play  or 
pleasure,  and  well  calculated  for  seducing  those  who  have  no 
very  particular  leaning  towards  either. 

When  this  class  of  ropers  get  on  the  scent  of  a  victim,  they  are 
as  untiring  as  a  bloodhound.  Should  his  standing  at  home  not 
admit  of  his  entering  a  gambling-house,  your  practical  roper  will 
follow  his  prey  thousands  of  miles,  if  necessary,  in  order  to  land 
him  inside  some  skinning  den  at  last. 

It  is  absolutely  necessary  that  the  proprietor  of  these  houses 
should  be  widely  known  as  a  No.  1  sporting  man,  be  the  keeper 
of  a  fashionable  club  house,  where  he  gives  recherche  suppers 
and  the  finest  brands  of  liquors  and  cigars  to  his  guests.  The 
more  widely  himself  and  club  house  are  known,  the  more  profit 
able  will  be  his  business.  It  is  vital  to  him,  then,  to  cultivate  the 
acquaintance  of  all  who  can  in  any  respect  benefit  his  house.  In 
it  may  be  found  officials,  from  aldermen  to  senators,  and  all 
other  grades  who  have  the  one  thing  here  requisite— the  almighty 


218  WANDEKINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

dollar — and  are  willing  to  surrender  it  insufficiently  large  quan 
tities  to  the  irresistible  fascinations  of  the  two-card  box.  They 
move  generally  among  what  society  terms  the  respectable  class 
es,  and  are  frequently  the  associates  and  friends  of  wealthy  men, 
whose  presence  in  their  establishment  gives  to  it  an  air  of 
respectability,  and  who  frequently  become  ropers  for  it,  and 
introduce  good  subjects,  without  for  a  moment  suspecting  its 
character. 

A  stranger,  known  to  be  rich,  arriving  in  a  city,  is  at  once  set 
upon  by  ropers.  If  neither  these  gentry  nor  the  master  sharper 
are  acquainted  with  him,  a  mere  introduction  is  all  that  is  requir 
ed.  A  champagne  cork  or  two  is  pulled  in  the  bar-room  of  the 
hotel,  and,  when  the  victim  is  sufficiently  warmed  up,  he  is 
invited  round  to  the  club  house  to  take  supper.  Should  the  fas 
tidious  subject  require  more  gentle  treatment,  a  carriage  is  call 
ed  and  he  is  put  into  it  and  driven  to  the  theatre,  or  perhaps  the 
opera,  and  duly  installed  in  one  of  the  fashionable  boxes.  Per 
haps  neither  music,  the  ballet,  nor  the  histrionic  is  suitable  to 
the  taste  of  the  honorable  guest,  and  he  prefers  visiting  one  of 
the  fashionable  bagnios.  Your  roper  and  sharper  is  at  home 
there ;  he  knows  all  about  the  principal  fancy  houses,  and  is  per 
sonally  acquainted  with  all  the  inmates.  Returning,  the  car 
riage  drives  up  to  the  doors  of  the  club  house,  into  which  the  vic 
tim  is  duly  escorted.  After  an  excellent  supper,  and  under  the 
exhilarating  effects  of  rich  wines,  he  is  marched  into  the  gamb 
ling-room,  where  the  brace-dealer  sits,  surrounded  by  his  cappers, 
dealing  his  game,  and  the  roulette  wheel  man  is  spinning  his  ball, 
as  an  invitation  to  play.  The  roper  commences  playing  against 
the  bank,  having  bought  a  hundred  dollars'  worth  of  checks,  but 
does  not  urge  his  "  friend  "to  play;  and  whether  he  does  or  not, 
he  is  treated  with  the  same  courtesy.  Should  he  have  but  little 
money  about  him,  and  lose  that,  his  generous  host  is  quite  will 
ing  to  credit  him  with  whatever  amount  he  may  wish  to  play 
against  the  bank. 

Sharpers  are  selfish,  crafty,  and  avaricious,  and  in  no  case 
are  they  ever  moved  by  the  liberal  and  generous  impulses  which 
characterize  the  true  gambler.  They  are  a  privileged  class  of 
robbers,  because  legislation  has  as  yet  failed  to  devise  any  means 
for  punishing  their  frauds.  Whoever  has  the  misfortune  to  come 
under  their  influence,  they  invariably  rob,  or  use  to  carry  out 


SECOND-CLASS  SKINNING-HOUSES.  219 

their  nefarious  designs  upon  others.  Whenever  they  make  any 
display  of  liberality,  they  are  prompted  by  some  selfish  motive ; 
and  whenever  they  spend  a  dollar  it  is  with  the  expectation  of 
making  ten.  By  the  luxurious  feasts  which  they  spread  nightly 
in  their  robbing  dens,  they  manage  to  draw  around  them  the 
wealthy  and  influential  persons  of  the  place  where  they  are  lo 
cated,  and  obtain  their  countenance  and  protection.  The  public 
at  large  looks  upon  them  as  the  leading  sporting  men  of  the 
country.  Numbered  among  their  nightly  guests  are  astute 
lawyers  and  politicians,  calculating  bankers,  brokers,  and  mer 
chants,  who  regale  themselves  on  the  elegant  suppers  and  choice 
wines  of  their  host,  without  casting  a  thought  to  the  problem  of 
where  the  money  is  procured  to  meet  the  cost  of  such  magnifi 
cence.  Should  it  ever  cross  the  mind  of  one  of  these  sapient 
"gulls"  to  inquire  how  such  gorgeous  establishments  are  kept 
up,  his  question  is  answered  by  his  friend,  the  gentleman-roper, 
"Oh!  the  'splits'  at  faro  are  something  enormous!" 

Reader,  the  percentage  of  square  faro  does  not  reach  two  per 
cent.,  and  it  would  require  a  play  of  at  least  $50,000  daily,  to 
support  such  establishments  as  I  have  described ;  and  I  have 
grave  doubts  if  any  bank  in  the  world  has  averaged,  daily,  for 
the  space  of  six  months,  a  play  of  $20,000. 

So  conflicting  are  the  interests  of  gamblers  and  sharpers,  that 
if  the  former  possessed  the  power,  the  latter  would  be  so  com 
pletely  crushed  out,  that  not  a  two-card  box  could  be  found 
in  America.  The  breaking  up  of  the  skinning-houses  in  San 
Francisco,  and  their  final  extirpation  from  the  Pacific  slope,  is 
entirely  due  to  the  efforts  of  gamblers.  Every  person  robbed 
there  was  informed  of  their  rascally  practices,  and  urged  to 
sue  for  his  money  back.  Men  were  posted  before  the  dens,  to 
warn  strangers  about  to  enter  them,  of  their  character.  The 
doors  of  square  faro  games  were  shut  in  the  face  of  ropers.  By 
these  hostile  measures,  they  were  driven  from  the  Pacific  slope. 
Self-defense  prompted  them  to  pursue  this  course.  So  long  as 
these  swindlers  were  allowed  to  operate,  they  cast  a  taint  on 
faro-banks  in  general.  While  gambling-houses  were  licensed  iu 
the  city  of  New  Orleans,  the  gamblers  did  all  in  their  power  to 
break  up  the  skinning-houses;  and  succeeded,  until  the  legisla 
ture,  in  1836,  repealed  the  act  licensing  gambling,  which  opened 
the  way  for  again  introducing  the  skinning  games.  The  sharpers 


220  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

hired  private  rooms  to  operate  in,  or  used  their  rooms  at  the 
hotels,  while  their  ropers  were  upon  tlie  streets  or  around  the 
coffee-houses,  billiard-rooms,  and  every  -other  public  place, 
picking  up  customers  for  them.  When  arrested  for  violation  of 
the  law.  the  money  they  fleeced  from  their  victims  bought  off  the 
police  and  informers,  so  that  they  could  follow  their  calling  with 
but  slight  risk.  But  the  square  gambler  could  not  afford  to  run 
the  risk  of  being  arrested,  the  fine  for  dealing  any  game  being 
$1,000;  and  square  faro  cannot  pay  such  fines. 

Wherever  the  sharpers  have  obtained  a  foothold  in  a  place, 
they  have  not  failed  to  outgeneral  the  gamblers.  Their  extrava 
gant  entertainments  bring  them  in  contact  with  men  In  high 
places,  to  secure  whose  protection  they  launch  out  their  money 
freely.  Not,  of  course,  by  direct  bribery ;  but  by  presents,  and  in 
many  delicate  ways  covering  the  offensive  odor  of  bribery ;  and 
sometimes  by  advancing  a  sum  of  money  for  electioneering 
purposes.  The  square  gambling  banker  cannot  afford  to  do 
these  things,  nor  do  one  in  fifty  of  them  ever  think  of  meddling 
in  elections.  The  sharpers  are  greatly  opposed  to  having  square 
games  near  their  skinuing-houses,  or,  in  fact,  if  they  could 
prevent  it,  in  the  places  where  they  are  located.  They  fear 
their  dupes  may  learn  the  difference  between  them,  if  given  fre 
quent  opportunities  of  playing  against  the  latter.  The  frequenter 
of  the  den  of  Johnny  Chamberlain  on  Twenty-fifth  street,  who 
has  been  for  years  dropping  his  money  against  the  bank,  without 
the  relief  of  a  single  winning,  or  even  the  gratification  of  seeing 
a  friend  win,  will  naturally  become  awakened  to  the  fact  that 
there  is  something  strange  in  this  perpetual  ill  luck,  not  only  of 
himself,  but  in  every  case  he  has  observed.  When  he  changes 
his  base,  and  alternates  his  visits  between  Johnny's  and  the 
square  establishment  at  818  Broadway,  No.  12  Ann  Street,  or 
8  Barclay,  or  any  others  of  the  square  gambling  places  in  the 
city,  where,  according  to  the  mutability  of  the  chances,  he  must 
frequently  win,  himself,  and  also  see  many  of  his  friends  win, 
whose  knowledge  of  the  art  is  no  better  than  his  own,  his 
suspicions  will  probably  be  pretty  thoroughly  aroused,  that  he 
has  been  robbed  scientifically  and  continually,  in  the  aristocratic 
establishment  of  Chamberlain.  In  addition  to  this,  the  square 
gambler  is  always  a  source  of  uneasiness  to  the  sharper,  because 
he  knows  the  former  will  warn  his  victims  of  the  fraudulent 


SECOND-CLASS  SKENNING- HOUSES.  221 

character  of  his  transactions,  whenever  he  can.  Under  the 
Know-nothing  regime  in  New  Orleans,  when  the  sharpers  became 
more  powerful  than  ever  before  or  since,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped 
ever  will  be  again,  they  raised  every  obstacle  in  their  power  to 
prevent  the  square  games  from  being  opened.  In  the  winter  of 
1858,  but  a  single  game  of  square  faro  was  open  in  the  city ;  and 
that  was  located  over  a  livery  stable.  The  room  was  meanly 
furnished,  and  the  limit  was  six  dollars  and  a  quarter,  with  a 
paroli  to  twenty-five  dollars.  At  the  same  time  there  were  fifteen 
bird  supper  (skinning)  houses  in  full  blast.  So  long  as  the  Know- 
nothing  party  were  in  power  in  the  city,  the  sharpers  could  depend 
on  it  for  protection  ;  for  the  reason  that  they  gave  money  freely 
toward  its  support,  and  so  long  as  they  could  exclude  from  the 
city,  square  houses,  so  long  the  charge  of  unfairness  was  less 
likely  to  be  cast  against  them.  Gamblers  were  the  only  persons 
they  feared;  and  during  the  ascendency  of  the  Thugs  in  the  city, 
were  not  only  kept  from  opening  their  games,  but  from  speaking 
against  the  sharpers,  by  dread  of  assassination.  To  illustrate 
how  anxious  were  the  sharpers  to  have  the  mysteries  of  their 
dens  preserved  from  exposure,  and  their  great  desire  that  their 
dupes  should  learn  nothing  about  the  game  of  faro,  that  might 
lead  them  to  suspect  they  were  being  foully  dealt  with  at  their 
places,  I  shall  here  relate  a  circumstance  which  occurred  in  the 
city  of  New  Orleans  in  the  winter  of  1859.  A  party  of  sharpers 
from  Richmond  had  opened  a  gorgeous  establishment  on  Canal 
street.  So  far  as  their  gambling  relations,  or  the  appearance  of 
them,  went,  they  conducted  their  house  on  a  more  liberal  scale 
than  any  other  of  the  sort  in  the  city.  When  they  could  do  no 
better  they  were  willing  to  depend  on  the  odd  card  which  made 
the  percentage  fifteen  per  cent,  more  in  their  favor  than  in  a 
square  game.  Or  when  the  game  had  around  it  only  small 
players,  they  frequently  dealt  it  on  the  square.  What  they 
principally  depended  on  was  fleecing  fat  subjects  who  were 
roped  into  the  den,  or  dropped  in  accidentally.  To  give  their 
game  every  appearance  of  fairness  they  introduced  cue-papers. 
Up  to  that  time  the  keeping  of  the  cards  by  pencil  and  paper 
was  unknown  in  that  city,  or  in  any  of  the  Southern  States  south 
of  Richmond.  This  innovation  created  the  greatest  alarm 
among  the  skin-game  sharpers  there.  A  deputation  waited  upon 
the  Richmondites,  who  were  informed  that  too  much  money  had 


222  WANDERrNTJS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

been  spent  to  bring  gambling  up  to  its  present  standard  and 
have  it  protected,  to  permit  strangers  to  come  into  the  place  and 
teach  customers  how  to  protect  themselves  at  faro.  This  warn 
ing  was  all-sufficient,  and  the  papers  were  at  once  abandoned 
by  the  Richmondites. 

The  question  no  doubt  arises  in  the  mind  of  the  reader,  why, 
if  the  sharpers  were  so  powerful  in  the  city,  they  allowed  any 
strangers  to  enter,  and  divide  with  them  the  magnificent  harvest 
to  be  reaped  there  every  winter  with  a  two-card  box.  The 
answer  is,  jealousy.  Mutual  preservation  united  the  sharpers 
against  the  Democratic  party,  which,  while  in  power,  never  ceased 
to  persecute  them.  Consequently,  as  soon  as  the  Know-nothings 
had  gained  the  ascendency  in  the  city,  the  sharpers,  with  one 
accord,  were  its  steadfast  upholders,  both  by  their  activity  and 
their  money.  It  was  virtually  the  Know-nothings  who  destroyed 
the  severe  laws  enacted  against  gambling,  by  wiping  out  that 
clause  which  gave  one-half  the  fines  to  the  informer.  But  if 
these  worthies  were  fully  protected  in  their  robberies,  a  burning 
hatred  and  jealousy  existed  among  them.  Each  was  envious  of 
the  other's  influence  with  the  authorities,  and  only  fear  of  ex 
posure  kept  them  on  terms  of  decency  and  good  behavior  to 
wards  each  other.  For  one  sharper  to  be  instrumental  in 
breaking  up  the  establishment  of  another  was  a  dangerous  ex 
periment,  as  retaliation  was  sure  to  ensue.  The  law  against 
gambling  was  severe,  and  still  in  full  operation ;  but  offered  no 
bribe  to  informers,  which  was  to  the  sharpers  a  protection.  But 
should  one  of  these,  by  underhand  measures,  break  up  the  den 
of  another,  revenge  would  induce  the  party  injured  to  go  be 
fore  the  grand  jury  in  the  light  of  an  informer.  In  this  fratrici 
dal  war,  every  skinning  den  in  the  city  would  be  broken  up; 
besides,  whatever  amount  of  hatred  and  jealousy  might  exist 
among  them,  they  mortally  feared  detection  of  their  frauds,  which 
would  be  certain  to  ensue  if  they  depended  on  a  court  of  justice 
to  revenge  them,  one  upon  another.  These  reasons,  and  only 
these,  caused  the  sharpers  to  respect  the  rights  of  each  other, 
but  against  square  gamblers,  who,  having  no  particular  influence 
there,  wished  to  open  square  games  in  the  place,  they  were,  as  a 
unit,  hostile.  They  were  prevented  from  opening  their  banks 
through  fear  of  violence  from  the  Thugs,  who  were  hand  in  hand 
with  the  sharpers,  and  ready  to  commit  any  outrage  at  their 


SECOND-CLASS  SKINNING-HOUSES.  223 

bidding.  Just  before  the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion,  when 
political  excitement  was  engendering  a  hatred  towards  all  per 
sons  of  northern  birth,  some  of  the  sharpers  agitated  a  move 
ment  to  have  all  their  northern  brethren  expelled  from  the  city. 
These  resident  sharpers  had  been  compelled  to  look  quietly  on 
for  the  last  few  years,  and  see  others  from  the  North  and  West, 
fitting  up  gorgeous  establishments,  which  far  surpassed  their 
own.  The  consequence  was,  that  their  own  business  was  de 
creasing,  and,  blinded  by  jealousy  and  rage,  they  tried  to  have 
the  new-comers  driven  from  the  State.  Feeling  ran  very  high, 
just  then,  against  all  persons  of  northern  birth,  and  those  who 
inaugurated  the  movement  might  very  probably  have  succeeded, 
had  not  their  activity  in  the  matter  been  viewed  by  a  portion  of 
the  skinning  fraternity  as  a  dodge  of  the  expulsionists  to  in 
crease  their  own  interest  and  influence,  and  a  suspicion  that 
when  the  obnoxious  northerners  were  gotten  rid  of,  the  next 
move  of  the  expelling  party,  who  were  the  wealthiest  sharpers  in 
the  place,  would  be  to  crush  them  out,  that  they  might  have  the 
monopoly  of  the  skinning  trade  all  to  themselves.  Nor  were 
their  fears  entirely  groundless,  if  one  may  judge  from  another 
move  on  the  part  of  the  expulsionists,  a  few  months  later.  They 
offered  a  large  sum  to  procure  a  bill,  log-rolled  through  the  leg 
islature  of  Louisiana,  licensing  gaming,  but  confining  it  in. 
New  Orleans  to  three  houses,  each  of  which  three  houses 
should  pay  $75,000  per  annum  for  its  license.  The  passage 
of  such  a  bill  would  have  thrown  all  the  gambling  in  the  city 
into  the  hands  of  four  or  five  wealthy  sharpers;  but  corrupt  as 
was  the  Legislature  of  Louisiana,  at  that  time,  it  dared  not  arouse 
the  just  indignation  of  all  the  decent  people  in  the  State,  by  the 
passage  of  such  a  nefarious  law. 

Self-preservation  and  mutual  jealousy  were  the  centripetal 
and  centrifugal  forces,  which  held  the  oligarchy  of  sharpers  to 
gether  in  New  Orleans  for  a  period  of  nearly  six  years.  When 
the  Thugs  were  driven  from  the  city,  or,  at  least,  the  worst  of 
them,  this  oligarchy  fell  asunder.  Its  support  was  gone.  Nine 
square  gambling-houses  were  established  in  the  place  within  a 
month  after  that  event,  and  in  three  months  more  but  three 
skinning-houses  existed  in  the  city,  and  these  were  not  paying 
their  expenses. 


224  TVAXDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

CHAPTER    XX. 

SHARPERS. 

It  would  seem  that  the  fountain-head  of  all  our  social  misfor 
tune  is  the  accumulation  of  wealth.  In  whatever  country  a  few 
families  have  possessed  themselves  of  the  larger  portion  of  the 
arable  lands,  the  remainder  have  become  their  serfs.  England, 
Ireland,  and  Scotland  have,  united,  a  population  of  about 
28,000,000 ;  out  of  this  immense  number,  about  20,000  own  the 
entire  lands  in  the  United  Kingdom.  The  statistics  of  the  popu 
lation  of  Great  Britain,  taken  a  few  years  since,  show  that  she 
has  1,039,000  paupers,  and  a  moment's  reflection  will  show  that 
in  the  background  of  that  immense  army  of  want,  as  many 
more  must  be  enduring  their  misery  in  silence.  Wealth  is  the 
mother  of  pride,  fraud,  extortion,  rapine,  and  cruelty.  It  has 
divided  mankind  into  classes,  set  neighbor  against  neighbor 
and  children  against  parents.  It  has  ever  tempted  the  cupidity 
of  man,  roused  all  that  is  worst  in  his  nature,  and  created 
schools  for  the  education  of  the  sharper.  Eighty  per  cent,  of 
the  cultivated  classes  worship  the  golden  calf,  and  ignore  the 
brotherhood  of  man ;  consequently,  as  they  prey  upon  the  rights 
of  their  fellows,  they  are  nothing  more  nor  less  than  sharpers. 
What  are  the  myriads  of  priests,  who  lie  soft,  and  fare  sumptu 
ously  every  day  upon  the  sweat  of  the  toiler,  but  sharpers  ?  Or 
what  are  the  hordes  of  lawyers,  who  live  by  fostering  "man 'sin- 
humanity  to  man,"  and  confusing  the  rights  of  property,  instead 
of  regulating  them,  but  sharpers?  The  cultivated  scoundrel, 
who  finds  his  way  into  our  legislative  halls  to  give  his  voice  in 
favor  of  a  monopoly,  which,  while  it  brings  wealth  and  power  to 
a  few,  will  bring  want  and  misery  to  many,  is  only  a  sharper. 
That  magistrate  is  but  a  sharper,  who,  dispensing  justice  with 
severity  to  the  penniless  and  friendless,  is  yet  leniently  disposed 
towards  the  wealthy  and  influential.  So  long  as  the  more 
cultivated  and  superior  classes  are  permitted  to  use  all  their 
knowledge  and  powers  of  invention,  for  the  purpose  of  enriching 
the  few  at  the  expense  of  the  many,  the  human  race  can  expect 
to  be  but  little  better  than  birds  of  prey,  and  "the  beasts  that 
perish."  Since  the  attainment  of  wealth  has  become  a  virtue, 


SHABPERS.  225 

fraud  has  almost  ceased  to  be  a  crime.  "Had  not  I  seized  the 
prize,  another  would  have  done  do,"  is  the  balm  that  quiets  the 
conscientious  scruples  of  the  plunderer.  Consequently,  swin 
dling  and  fraudulent  transactions  of  all  kinds  have  become 
every-day  occurrences  in  all  branches  of  trade  and  industry,  and 
among  all  classes  of  society.  In  the  breathless  hurry-scurry 
scramble  for  wealth,  few  men  are  really  strictly  honest;  they 
salve  their  conscience  with  the  thought  that  when  they  have 
accumulated  what  riches  they  desire,  they  will  be  so,  but  as  the 
passion  for  wealth  increases  with  its  accumulation,  an  honest 
man  is  about  as  hard  to  find  as  "  pearls  in  ocean's  midst." 

What  has  caused  all  the  sanguinary  wars  that  have  devastated 
countries,  and  left  them  hopelessly  impoverished  and  enslaved? 
The  desire  of  more  possessions.  Who  brought  about  those  wars 
but  scheming  sharpers?  If  we  except  the  few  noble  souls  who 
have  seized  the  sword  in  order  to  free  their  country  from  the 
chains  of  the  oppressor,  like  Spartacus,  the  Gracchi,  Eienzi, 
Washington,  Toussaint  L'Ouverture,  and  Bolivar,  the  great  mass 
of  military  heroes,  in  whose  honor  peans  have  been  sung,  and  at 
whose  feet  the  world  has  fallen  down  to  worship,  have  been 
nothing  more  nor  less  than  a  set  of  cut-throats  and  plunderers. 

Why  then  should  we  be  surprised  to  find  the  sharper  plying 
his  trade  under  the  guise  of  gambling?  It  is  as  natural  to  find 
him  playing  false  cards,  loaded  dice,  etc.,  as  to  find  him  selling 
his  vote  in  the  legislative  halls,  his  decisions  upon  the  bench, 
or  buying  up  the  necessaries  of  life,  in  order  to  enrich  himself 
upon  the  necessities  of  his  suffering  countrymen.  These  crimes 
are  committed  daily,  and  their  perpetrators  not  only  go  un- 
whipped  of  justice,  but  the  world  considers  them  venial  sins,  to 
be  winked  at  and  passed  over,  for  they  sit  in  high  places  and 
roll  in  wealth,  giving  to  their  dear  five  hundred  friends,  sump 
tuous  entertainments  in  splendid  mansions,  built  from  the  fruits 
of  their  dishonesty. 

Possibly,  cheating  at  cards  is  coeval  with  the  hazarding  of 
money  or  its  equivalent.  That  such  unfair  dealing  should  be 
viewed  by  the  fleec*ed  party  as  criminal,  is  but  natural,  and  that 
they  should  punish  the  sharper,  if  able,  is  also  quite  natural,  and 
he  richly  deserves  it,  for  doing  his  work  in  such  a  bungling  man 
ner  as  to  be  detected ;  the  main  object  being  generally  to  wrest 
from  him  the  plunder,  and,  after  that  is  accomplished,  to  admin- 


226  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

ister  a  sound  drubbing  to  the  offender.  We  frequently  read  of 
detected  sharpers  being  thrown  from  windows  or  kicked  down 
stairs  in  Europe  by  their  irate  victims ;  but  I  am  much  inclined 
to  believe  that  one  case  of  this  sort  has  been  magnified  into 
hundreds  by  the  writers.  In  this  country  it  woul'd  be  rather  a 
dangerous  undertaking  to  endeavor  to  throw  one  of  these  gentry 
from  a  window,  who  has  been  detected  in  his  "little  game."  From 
what  I  know  of  the  tribe,  I  should  say  they  were  but  little  dis 
posed  to  stand  such  nonsense  quietly,  and  the  thrower  might, 
before  he  was  aware  of  it,  find  himself  acting  the  role  of  the 
thrown.  Offenbach  will  not  allow  Chalcas  to  give  up  but  half  the 
spoils,  when  the"  princes  of  Greece  detected  their  high  priest  ring 
ing  in  false  dice  upon  them.  Unveiled  from  the  ruins  of  Pompeii, 
were  found  the  skeletons  of  men  around  a  gaming-table,  the  dice 
still  clutched  in  their  skeleton  fingers,  a  speechless  evidence  that 
the  Pompeians  were  in  the  habit  of  rattling  the  "  blarsted  nibs." 
From  the  writers  of  Rome  we  learn  that  gaming  was  extensively 
indulged  in  by  all  classes  during  the  empire.  Many  of  the  em 
perors  are  reputed  to  have  been  gamesters.  Caligula  made  of 
his  palace  a  gambling-house  for  the  nobility.  We  are  told  that 
Claudius  hazarded  about  sixteen  thousand  dollars  on  the  throw 
of  a  die,  a  large  sum  in  those  days.  According  to  Horace,  the 
cogging  of  dice  was  as  well  understood  in  the  days  of  Augustus 
Caesar  as  it  is  in  the  nineteenth  century ;  and  if  many  of  the 
writers  of  the  last  two  centuries  are  to  be  credited,  in  their  time 
more  sharpers  than  dupes  existed  in  Europe.  It  is  a  great  mis 
fortune  that  many  writers  look  more  to  their  imagination  for 
facts,  than  to  historical  records.  At  the  present  day,  when  I 
read  the  ridiculous  stories  relative  to  turning  the  tables  on  sharp 
ers,  ruined  families  caused  by  card-tables,  blowing  out  of  brains 
on  account  of  losses  incurred  by  gambling,  millions  won  by  black 
legs,  I  conclude  that  the  writers  of  the  two  latter  centuries 
knew  no  more  about  the  genuine  sharper  and  his  mysterious  op 
erations,  than  those  of  the  present  day.  When  cards  were  in 
troduced  into  Europe,  in  the  early  part  of  the  fifteenth  century, 
there  arose  such  a  rage  for  gaming,  and  to  sueh  a  fearful  extent 
did  it  spread  throughout  the  country,  that  it  was  quite  natural 
that  all  good  men  should  endeavor  to  check  the  vice.  Charles 
VII  of  France  issued  an  edict  against  it,  but  it  had  no  effect  in 
suppressing  it.  Many  of  the  clergy  traveled  through  the  country 


SHAEPEKS.  227 

preaching  against  it ;  Tmt,  as  it  was  as  prevalent  among  them  as 
among  the  laity,  their  exhortations  had  little  or  no  effect,  nor 
could  legislation  check  its  growth.  The  most  powerful  weapon 
of  the  opponents  of  gambling  was  the  accusation  of  swindling, 
and  it  was  used  so  unsparingly  by  preachers,  writers,  and  law 
makers,  that  the  uninitiated,  in  reading  their  records,  are  in 
duced  to  believe  that  nothing  was  to  be  found  in  Europe  except 
gambling-sharpers.  Doubtless  many  existed  in  those  days ;  we 
read,  and  know  how  they  spring  up  in  times  of  excitement ;  but 
I  am  far  from  being  disposed  to  believe  that  so  many  ever  ex 
isted  in  any  one  country  at  a  time,  as  exists  at  this  present  day 
in  our  own,  or  that  any  sharpers  ever  existed  who  were  so  skill 
ful  in  devising  means  of  cheating  at  play,  and  putting  their  arts 
into  practice,  as  those  of  the  present  day.  England  is  the  first 
country  within  my  knowledge,  that  passed  laws  making  cheating 
at  gambling  a  punishable  offense.  During  the  reign  of  Queen 
Anne,  that  law  was  tacked  on  to  an  act  prohibiting  gambling, 
and  as  the  document  is  rather  a  curious  one,  I  quote  from  it,  for 
the  reader's  edification:  "  The  statute  further  enacts,  that  if  any 
person  cheat  at  gaming,  and  at  any  one  time  win  more  than  £10, 
he  maybe  indicted,  and  shall  forfeit  five -times  the  value,  and 
shall  be  deemed  infamous,  and  shall  suffer  such  corporal  punish 
ment  as  in  case  of  willful  perjury."  Since  the  passage  of  the 
foregoing  law,  no  sharper  can  pursue  his  calling  in  all  the  king 
dom  of  Great  Britain  with  impunity.  Should  he  be  detected  in 
cheating,  while  playing  at  any  game  of  hazard  for  money,  he 
stands  in  danger  of  the  law,  and,  upon  conviction,  may  be  con 
signed  to  a  felon's  cell.  And  to-day  a  similar  fate  awaits  the  de 
tected  sharper  in  every  country  in  Europe  worthy  the  name  of 
civilized. 

In  the  early  days  of  our  country,  the  existence  of  the  sharper 
was  not  so  pleasant  as  now.  Running  about  the  country  with  a 
fast  quarter-horse  to  ring  in  upon  farmers  and  the  like ;  hiring 
the  privilege  of  a  race-track,  and  the  while  being  obliged  to  keep 
a  strict  watch  upon  his  cappers,  dice-coggers,  thimble -riggers, 
two-card  pullers,  strap  players,  trigger- wheel  players,  etc.,  lest 
they  should  sink  on  him — it  was  no  easy  task  to  watch  and  man 
age  such  a  gang.  Nor  were  his  labors  a  whit  less  while  travel 
ing  on  a  steamboat,  with  his  gang  of  strikers  plying  their  calling 
among  the  deck  and  cabin  passengers.  This  line  of  business  was 


228  -WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

not  in  all  cases  pleasant  while  on  these  excursions,  when  we  take 
into  consideration  that  he  ran  considerable  risk  of  being  lynched, 
or  set  ashore  in  some  wild  cane-brake,  should  one  of  his  strikers 
be  caught  in  the  act  of  chiseling  some  verdant  passenger.  Those 
rough  days  for  the  sharper  are  now  over.  He  now  may  be 
found  in  his  gorgeous  club  house,  surrounded  by  every  luxury 
and  attendance  for  which  the  sensualist  might  wish.  Instead  of 
prowling  about  the  country  in  search  of  victims,  they  quietly 
drop  into  his  trap,  or  are  roped  in  for  him  by  his  subordinates. 
Instead  of  being  persecuted  and  driven  from  place  to  place  by 
the  officers  of  the  law,  they  are  now  his  friends  and  companions, 
and  protect  him  in  his  swindling  operations,  or,  if  not  quite  that, 
are  conveniently  blind  to  his  acts.  The  magnificent  feasts  which 
he  spreads  draw  around  him  both  the  makers  of  laws  and  their 
executors,  and  he  is  more  than  repaid  by  their  protection  and 
the  respectability  which  their  presence  adds  to  his  house  and 
calling. 

,  When  sanded  cards  were  played  out  upon  gamblers,  and  sharp 
ers  were  forced  to  fall  back  upon  greenhorns  for  support,  they 
could  obtain  more  of  that  stock  by  setting  up  a  shop  and  wait 
ing  for  them,  than  by  running  around  the  country  in  search  of 
prey.  At  first  they  opened  small  traps  in  the  by-streets,  near 
the  principal  hotels,  and  frequently  set  up  their  games  in  their 
bedrooms  at  hotels,  where  their  ropers  brought  their  victims. 
From  the  opening  of  these  dens  dates  the  marshaling  of  our 
present  army  of  ropers,  cappers,  case-keepers,  and  artists,  under 
the  command  of  our  leading  sharpers. 

For  many  years  the  gamblers  of  this  country  lagged  far  behind 
their  brethren  in  Europe  in  the  fitting  up  of  costly  gambling  es 
tablishments.  At  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  the  gamb 
ling-hells  of  London  were  fitted  up  in  extraordinary  style.  The 
furnishing  alone  of  Fishmonger's  Hall  is  said  to  have  cost 
£40,000.  Previous  to  1837  all  the  gambling-rooms  in  this  coun 
try  were  fitted  up  and  conducted  purely  on  the  democratic  prin 
ciple.  SucTi  articles  as  carpets,  curtains,  or  a  side-board,  were 
entirely  unknown  there.  Even  chairs  were  scarcely  tolerated. 
They  were  usually  located  on  some  back  street  or  alley,  and 
frequently  in  a  cellar.  To  furnish  these,  it  only  required  some 
chairs,  and  a  few  tables  and  benches,  and  to  strew  the  floor  with 
sand  or  sawdust.  No  liquors  nor  drinks  of  any  sort  were  furnish- 


SHAEPEES.  229 

ed  by  the  proprietor,  except  a  pail  of  cold  water.  Many  of  them 
were,  however,  located  convenient  to  some  rum -mill,  from  whence 
refreshments  could  be  ordered.  Besides  faro-banks,  could  be 
found  those  of  roulette,  chuck,  vingt-et-un,  etc.  To  these  places 
ah1  sorts  of  characters  had  entrance  during  the  hours  devoted  to 
play,  and  to  preserve  order  at  least  one  bully  was  maintained  on 
the  premises. 

When  men  wearing  polished  boots  and  boiled  shirts  were  too 
exclusive  to  play  in  company  with  the  "  great  unwashed  "  at 
faro  or  roulette,  private  games  were  opened  for  their  convenience 
in  the  hotel  or  some  other  convenient  place.  As  the  people  grow 
prosperous  their  Spartan  virtues  gradually  retire  from  the  field 
and  allow  luxuries  to  creep  in  upon  them.  How  should  gamb 
lers  be  expected  to  escape  its  insidious  approach?  Their  patrons 
demanded  private  rooms,  decently  furnished,  in  order  that  they 
might  not  be  jostled  by  the  unclean,  the  uncouth,  and  the  ruf 
fianly.  The  first  genteel  gambling-rooms  fitted  up  in  this  coun 
try  were  opened  in  the  city  of  New  Orleans,  under  the  old  license 
law.  These  were  closed  in  1836,  and  shortly  afterwards  a  re 
spectably  furnished  gambling  establishment  was  opened  in 
Richmond.  After  the  suppression  of  gambling  in  New  Orleans, 
Mobile  became  the  favorite  gaming  place  in  the  South ;  and  as 
early  as  1837  several  finely  furnished  rooms  were  opened  there. 
That  is  to  say,  they  were  furnished  with  carpets,  curtains,  side 
boards,  etc.  The  games  played  in  these  rooms  were  principally 
faro  and  roulette,  and  all  genteel-looking  persons  were  permitted 
to  play  at  them.  The  rooms  in  which  faro  was  secretly  dealt, 
in  the  French  quarter  of  the  city  of  New  Orleans,  after  gambling 
was  suppressed  by  law,  were  usually  fitted  up  tastefully,  if  not 
extravagantly.  But  at  this  time,  excepting  these  and  those 
mentioned  as  in  Mobile,  and  one  or  two  in  Richmond,  but  very 
few  rooms,  where  square  faro  was  dealt,  were  decently  furnished, 
in  the  whole  United  States.  The  faro-rooms  in  large  cities  like 
New  York,  Boston,  Philadelphia,  St.  Louis,  Cincinnati,  and 
Louisville,  were  of  the  most  primitive  description,  located  in  the 
rear  of  some  doggery,  in  by-streets,  and  frequently  in  cellars. 
In  such  places  would  congregate  men  of  nearly  every  grade  and 
calling,  for  the  purpose  of  "  bucking  the  tiger."  Near  the  close 
of  the  Mexican  war,  gamblers  in  the  Northern  and  Western 
States  began  to  take  an  interest  in  fitting  up,  for  the  accomino- 


230  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

dation  of  themselves  and  their  patrons,  respectable  faro-rooms. 
If  these  cities  had  handsomely  furnished  rooms  for  dealing 
square  games  of  the  kind  before  1845,  I  can  find  no  evidence  of 
the  fact  j  and  I  think  the  same  assertion  may  safely  be  made  re 
garding  the  cities  of  Louisville,  Cincinnati,  and  St.  Louis.  The 
custom  of  setting  meals,  adopted  by  all  first-class  skinniug-dens 
and  many  square  houses  in  our  larger  cities,  originated  under 
the  old  license  law  in  New  Orleans.  These  establishments  had 
their  kitchens  and  tables  for  the  accommodation  of  the  proprie 
tor  and  his  employes.  Plain,  but  substantial  dinners,  with  clar 
et  wine,  were  served  every  afternoon  at  three,  to  which  the 
proprietor  was  in  the  habit  of  inviting  many  of  his  friends  and 
patrons.  After  the  suppression  of  these  houses,  many  of  the  faro- 
rooms  run  by  stealth  in  the  French  portion  of  the  city,  through 
the  connivance  of  the  police,  gave  to  their  guests  gratuitous 
dinners  and  suppers.  The  custom  was  adopted  by  some  of  the 
Mobile  gamblers,  and  shortly  by  a  few  houses  in  Baltimore  and 
Richmond.  None  of  .the  gamblers  operating  in  the  Eastern  or 
Western  cities  furnished  meals  to  their  patrons  previous  to  1855. 
I  believe  the  first  attempt  of  this  kind  was  made  in  the  city  of 
New  York.  None  of  the  faro  games  dealt  on  the  Pacific  Coast 
ever  set  a  table,  with  one  exception.  When  Stepen  Whipple 
opened  his  magnificent  establishment  in  the  city  of  San  Francis 
co,  he  gave  to  his  patrons  both  dinners  and  suppers  of  the 
finest  kind.  But  within  his  gorgeous  rooms  no  professional 
gambler  was  allowed.  No  other  square  game,  on  the  Pacific 
slope,  since  the  discovery  of  gold,  has  ever  furnished  meals  to 
its  patrons. 

The  first  fashionable  skinning-house  was  opened  in  Washington 
hi  1832,  by  two  sharpers  named  Pendleton  and  Marshall.  The 
former  was  a  native  of  Winchester,  Va.,  and,  as  a  sharper,  stood 
pre-eminent.  For  more  than  twenty  years  he  conducted  a  fash 
ionable  house  in  Washington,  and  the  remarkable  success  with 
which  he  met  must  be  attributed  to  his  own  peculiar  talents. 
Poorly  raised  and  worse  educated,  he  had  still  acquired  the 
manners  of  a  perfect  gentleman,  and  had  a  way  of  ingratiating 
himself  with  such  wealthy  persons,  and  those  of  influence,  as 
were  devoted  to  play  and  pleasure.  The  magnificent  display 
which  he  made,  and  the  celebrity  of  his  table,  which,  for  rare 
viands  and  choice  wines,  was  not  surpassed  by  those  of  the  weal- 


SHARPERS.  231 

thiest  in  the  land,  rendered  his  house,  during  a  session  of  Con 
gress,  the  resort  of  the  rich,  the  eminent,  and  the  powerful.  Mr. 
Marshall,  the  confidential  artist  of  Pendleton,  was  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  and  I  shall  here  close  the  mortal  career  of  this  gen 
tleman,  as  far  as  I  am  concerned,  by  stating  that  he  made  ten 
fortunes  while  with  Pendleton,  of  all  of  which  he  got  rid,  either 
by  the  most  reckless  extravagance,  or  bucking  at  faro,  and 
finally  died  a  miserable  drunkard  in  his  native  State.  They  also 
planted  Pendleton,  a  short  while  previous  to  the  rebellion,  and, 
though  a  reckless  spendthrift,  and  an  extravagant  liver,  he  left 
to  his  widow  an  ample  fortune. 

The  success  of  Peudleton's  trap  incited  the  sharpers  of  Mary 
land  and  Virginia  to  come  and  do  likewise.  Consequently, 
from  1833  up  to  the  present  time,  the  office-holders,  office-seek 
ers,  lobbyists,  claimants,  strangers,  and  their  high  mightinesses 
of  both  houses  of  Congress,  have  had  every  winter  from  two  to 
eight  skiuniug-houses  in  which  to  loaf,  sup,  and  be  fleeced  of 
their  money,  whenever  they  played  the  unequal  game  against 
the  two-card  box. 

Fashionable  houses  of  this  sort  were  about  this  period  opened 
in  Richmond  and  Baltimore.  From  these  cities  the  sharpers 
extended  their  operations  to  Philadelphia,  where  they  opened 
one  or  more  in  the  summer  of  1836,  but  they  received  such  bad 
treatment  from  the  roughs  and  black-mailers  in  that  city,  that 
they  were  forced  to  abandon  their  enterprise.  Between  the 
years  1844  and  1845  they  obtained  a  foothold  there,  and  since  that 
period  Philadelphia  has  never  been  without  two  or  more  fash 
ionable  skin  games. 

In  the  year  1840,  an  Irishman  named  Pat  Hearn  fitted  up,  in 
Barclay  street,  New  York,  a  splendid  suite  of  apartments  for  that 
purpose,  where  he  entertained  his  customers  with  suppers  of  the 
"bird"  style,  and  "braced"  them  to  pay  the  expense.  From  the 
best  information  I  can  get,  I  believe  this  to  have  been  the  first  skin- 
ning-house  opened  in  New  York.  Hearn,  before  his  advent  in 
New  York,  was  employed  in  a  notary's  office  in  New  Orleans,  but 
his  profligate  habits  and  passion  of  gaming  caused  him  to  lose 
his  situation.  After  spending  a  year  or  two  loafing  around  the 
licensed  gambling-houses  in  the  place,  the  proprietors  of  one  of 
them  gave  him  a  situation  to  attend  at  one  of  the  games,  where 
he  remained  until  public  gaming  was  suppressed.  While  there 


232  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

employed,  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  many  of  its  wealthy 
patrons.  Having  received  a  good  education,  and  being  a  man 
of  polished  manners,  with  a  social  and  genial  disposition,  and 
having,  withal,  a  large  stock  of  rollicking  Irish  humor,  he  com 
mended  himself  to  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact,  and  those 
fond  of  play  and  fast  living  found  in  Pat  Hearu  a  congenial 
companion. 

Some  proprietors  of  private  skiuniug-deus  in  the  place  saw  in 
Hearn  a  valuable  roper,  and  at  this  business  he  soon  recruited 
his  fortunes,  and  lived  in  the  most  extravagant  style  until  he 
came  to  New  York,  where  he  was  allowed,  almost  without  inter 
ruption,  to  carry  on  a  skinning-den  for  about  twenty  years. 

Meantime,  during  that  interval,  many  sharps  fitted  up  fash 
ionable  skinniug-houses  in  the  city,  and  conducted  them  with 
various  success.  Some  were  closed  for  want  of  patronage,  while 
others  were  broken  up  from  receiving  frequent  interruptions 
from  the  rowdy  element ;  and  not  a  few  were  compelled  to  close 
by  the  extortionate  black-mailing  of  the  police.  Through  all 
the  years,  however,  Pat  Hearn  maintained  his  position,  and 
weathered  every  political  storm,  by  his  native  tact.  His  superior 
roping  and  entertaining  qualities  filled  his  den  with  fat  subjects 
belonging  to  the'  more  intellectual  and  wealthy  classes.  His 
genial  manners,  profuse  liberality,  and  off-handed  way,  made 
him  a  favorite  with  the  rowdy  clement,  and  they  gave  to  him 
their  support.  The  money  and  presents  which  he  secretly  dis 
tributed  among  the  chiefs  of  the  poh'ce  force  in  his  ward,  en 
sured  him  against  interruption  from  these  satellites,  while  he 
compromised  with  all  black-mailers  who  tried  to  prey  upon  him, 
sooner  than  allow  then:  snares  to  draw  him  within  the  meshes 
of  the  law.  Notwithstanding  his  extravagant  habits,  at  his 
death,  which  took  place  in  1860,  Hearn  managed  to  leave  his 
widow  about  $30,000. 

The  first  gorgeous  skiuning-palace  opened  in  New  York,  which 
could  bear  any  comparison  to  those  at  present  located  there,  or 
those  at  Long  Branch  or  Saratoga,  was  fitted  up  by  a  company 
of  sharpers  in  1853.  This  magnificent  establishment  was  chris 
tened  "The  Crystal  Palace,"  and  it  is  reported  that  a  fabulous 
sum  was  expended  in  furnishing  and  fitting  it  up.  It  was 
placed  under  the  charge  of  Mr.  Pendleton,  himself  a  large  share 
holder,  who  could  afford  to  give  it  his  whole  attention  when 
Congress  was  not  hi  session. 


SHAEPERS.  233 

The  house  did  not  at  first  take  well,  and  would  probably 
have  proved  a  failure,  had  it  not  met  with  a  rich  subject  in  a 
cashier  of  one  of  the  city  banks.  This  defaulting  gentleman 
dropped  in  the  house,  at  various  plays,  about  $70,000.  Expect 
ing,  no  doubt,  to  make  his  losses  good,  he  requested  Mr.  Pendle- 
ton  and  his  associates  to  keep  his  losses  from  the  public, 
but  the  "swag"  was  too  big.  The  first  desire  of  a  sharper  is  to 
acquire  money;  the  next,  to  let  the  world  know  of  his  acquisi 
tion.  The  cashier  was  arrested,  and  his  employers  sued  the 
"Crystal  Palace"  for  the  stolen  money.  But  Peudleton  ran 
off  to  Washington  carrying  it  with  him,  and  the  sharpers  se 
cured  their  prize,  but,  in  consequence,  the  "Crystal  Palace"  was 
broken  up  by  the  authorities. 

It  was  about  the  commencement  of  the  rebellion  that  the  fash 
ionable  dens  of  New  York  first  acquired  an  assured  foothold  in 
that  city;  and,  since  then,  they  have  been  able  and  have  bidden 
defiance  to  the  attacks,  both  of  the  police  and  black-mailers,  be 
ing  protected  by  the  higher  city  officials.  During  the  last  decade, 
all  the  proprietors  of  these  places  have  become  wealthy,  though 
always  living  in  the  most  extravagant  manner.  Several  of  them 
have  either  country-seats  or  finely  stocked  farms  within  a  short 
distance  of  the  city,  while  others  live  in  palatial  city  residences, 
supporting  the  most  extravagant  style.  A  few  have  stables  of 
racers  or  trotters,  while  some  are  managers  and  large  share 
holders  in  some  of  the  popular  race  tracks  around  the  city. 

The  first  skinning-house  of  which  Boston  ever  could  boast, 
was  opened  there  in  1844,  and  conducted  by  a  man  of  the  name  of 
Lyman  Brittain,  with  the  assistance  of  three  or  more  other  sharp 
ers.  Their  houses  proved  a  success,  and  induced  others  to  try 
their  fortunes  there,  by  opening  and  conducting  similar  estab 
lishments.  Those  who  failed  did  so  more  from  want  of  patron 
age  than  any  hostility  shown  towards  them  by  the  authorities. 
In  no  place  in  this  country  have  such  places  been  better  protect 
ed  by  those  honorable  bodies  than  in  Boston.  Mr.  Brittain  run 
his  house  in  Boston  until  about  1864,  when  he  went  to  New 
York,  and  identified  himself  with  one  of  the  most  aristocratic  es 
tablishments  of  the  kind  there. 

Two  years  afterwards  the  worthy  gentleman  handed  in  his 
chips,  which  disastrous  event  was  caused  by  sizing  up  too 
heavily  against  the  brandy  bottle. 


234  WATERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

I  have  already  stated  the  manner  in  which  the  sharpers 
followed  their  calling  subsequent  to  the  repeal  of  the  law  per 
mitting  public  gaming  in  New  Orleans,  and  the  manner  in 
which  they  kept  their  games  and  caused  suckers  to  be  roped  to 
them  in  by-streets  or  in  their  sleeping-rooms  at  the  hotels. 
When  sued  for  the  money  or  spotted  by  informers,  the  matter 
was  generally  compromised.  If  the  haul  was  a  large  one  and 
fears  were  entertained  that  the  victim  might  "squeal,"  the 
sharpers  took  a  lake  or  river  steamer,  and  left  the  city  for  a  few 
days  till  the  affair  had  time  to  blow  over.  In  this  underhand 
manner  they  conducted  their  business  for  about  twenty  years, 
without  once  attempting  to  open  a  fashionable  skin-game.  The 
first  of  the  kind  opened  there  was  in  the  winter  of  1853,  and 
was  superintended  by  a  sharper  from  Tennessee,  named  Allen 
Jones.  The  greatest  care  was  taken  not  to  let  what  went  on 
within  the  house  become  known  to  the  outside  barbarians. 
This  institution,  during  the  winter,  cleared  for  its  owners  about 
$55,000 ;  a  young  Portuguese  Jew,  a  banker  in  the  place,  having 
lost  $30,000  of  the  money.  The  following  winter,'  Jones  and 
some  of  his  compeers  subscribed  several  thousand  dollars,  and 
with  it  caused  the  obnoxious  anti-gambling  law  to  be  stripped*  of 
its  most  dangerous  and  odious  feature,  that  which  gave  to  the 
informer  one-half  the  fine.  In  the  whiter  of  1854  two  additional 
skinning-dens  were  opened  hi  the  place,  to  add  dignity  to  the 
city  of  New  Orleans,  and  all  met  with  the  most  encouraging 
success.  Sharpers  now  gathered  from  nearly  all  parts  of  the 
earth  to  that  city,  and  vied  with  each  other  in  the  fitting  up 
and  furnishing  of  magnificent  establishments.  New  Orleans 
being  at  that  period  renowned  for  its  market,  no  finer  tables 
could  be  found  in  the  world  than  such  as  were  nightly  set  out  hi 
these  houses.  It  was  considered  a  poor  season  with  one  of  these 
when  it  did  not  clear  $40,000,  and  some  of  them  have  been 
known  to  make  in  the  neighborhood  of  $100,000  during  a  single 
winter.  It  was  during  these  lively  times  for  sharpers  that 
houses  were  opened  in  Cincinnati,  Louisville,  and  Chicago,  but 
neither  of  these  cities  were  able  to  support  more  than  one  or 
two  of  them  before  the  rebellion.  I  believe  that  during  the 
years  of  1863,  1864,  and  1865,  Cincinnati  never  supported  less 
than  three,  and  sometimes  as  many  as  five  or  six.  The  sharpers 
were  afraid  of  starting  such  houses  in  Louisville,  Nashville,  or  St. 


SHARPERS.  235 

Louis,  during  the  war,  these  cities  being  in  a  great  measure 
under  military  rule,  and,  to  the  credit  of  the  military  authorities 
be  it  said,  they  showed  no  mercy  to  sharpers,  while  they  in  DO 
way  interfered  with  regular  gamblers.  The  military  detectives 
found  out  the  character  of  each  game  dealt  within  their  stamp 
ing  ground,  and  swindling  sharpers  and  their  operators  were  not 
tolerated.  Many  were  arrested  in  Louisville,  Nashville,  Mem 
phis,  and  St.  Louis,  and  other  places  where  military  authority 
prevailed,  after  they  had  opened  their  houses,  and  some  of  them 
were  imprisoned  for  months,  and  not  a  few  set  to  work  on  the 
fortifications.  Small  wonder  if,  after  that,  they  and  all  their  ilk 
kept  strictly  beyond  the  power  of  military  authority.  But 
scarcely  a  town  or  city  of  any  size  existed,  during  the  war,  in  the 
East  or  West,  which  did  not  support  a  skin-game.  I  believe 
that  Chicago  had  at  no  time  less  than  three,  and  some  of  the 
tune  six  of  these,  which  were  furnished  in  the  most  extravagant 
manner,  and  all  of  which  kept  the  most  luxurious  tables. 

That  the  reader  may  have  some  idea  of  how  openly  the  swind 
ling  transactions  of  which  I  have  spoken  are  carried  on,  and  in 
what  a  barefaced  manner  the  articles  which  I  have  described 
are  offered  for  sale,  I  append  the  following  copy  of  a  circular 
which  is  publicly  sent  out,  accompanied  by  the  little  book  therein 
mentioned,  containing  fac-similes  of  the  backs  of  the  marked 
cards. 

[CUT    OF    EAGLE.] 

He  either  fears  his  fate  too  much, 

Or  his  deserts  are  small, 
"Who  dare  not  put  it  to  the  touch, 

And  win  or  lose  it  all. 

E.  M.  GRANDINE,  41  LIBERTY  STREET,  NEW  YORK, 

Manufacturer  and  Dealer  in  Advantage  and  Marked-Back  Play 
ing  Cards,  by  which  you  can  tell  the  size  and  suit, 
by  the  Sack  as  well  as  the  Face. 

EVERY  STYLE  OF  BACK  CONSTANTLY   ON  HAND. 

These  cards  are  an  exact  imitation  of  the  fair  Playing  Cards 
in  use,  and  are  adapted  for  Bluff  or  Poker,  Seven-up,  Forty- 
five,  Euchre,  Cribbage,  Vingt-et-un,  or  Twenty-one,  Loo,  and  all 
other  games  of  cards,  where  knowing  just  what  your  opponent 
holds  in  his  hand  would  enable  you  to  win.  Square  and  Marked 


236  WANDEKIXGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

Cards  cut  to  order  for  Stocking  Hands,  for  every  game.  Also 
Faro-boxes,  Lay-outs,  and  Tools.  Roulette -Wheels,  Keno-Sets, 
Ivory  Goods,  Rouge-et-Noir  or  Red  and  Black,  Roulette, 
Feather  and  Anchor,  Over  and  Under  Seven,  Eight  and  Ten 
Dice,  and  Faro  Cloths,  and  every  variety  of  Sporting  Imple 
ments  and  Materials. 

My  cards  are  now  issued  on  a  quality  of  board,  which,  though 
in  exact  imitation  of  the  Square  Cards  of  the  same  patterns,  is,  in 
toughness  and  elasticity,  but  little  if  at  all  inferior  to  a  Faro 
Dealing  Card,  and  uuequaled  by  anything  to  be  obtained  in  this 
country  in  the  way  of  Marked  Cards.  I  have  the  greatest  variety 
of  styles,  and  have  them  perfect,  both  in  mark  and  finish. 

Faro  Boxes,  Tools,  and  all  other  goods  herein  advertised,  are 
of  the  very  best  quality,  and  parties  wishing  goods  for  practical 
use,  will  do  well  to  favor  me  with  their  order.  Especially  is 
this  true  of  those  wishing  to  purchase  Faro  Checks.  There  are 
various  concerns  who  are  selling  Checks  made  from  gi'een,  un 
seasoned  ivory,  which  are  almost  entirely  worthless.  Especial 
attention  is  paid  to  this  department,  and  my  Checks  are  made 
from  the  very  best  seasoned  and  finest  quality  of  ivory  imported. 

Full  and  explicit  directions  for  reading  and  using  will  be  sent 
•with  all  Cards  and  Tools.  Should  you  wish  for  Cards,  state  the 
style  of  back  as  per  sample-book  accompanying,  and  they  will  be 
forwarded  to  any  address. 

SPECIAL    NOTICE. 

Any  of  these  goods  -will  be  sent  by  express  C.  0.  D.  (collect  on 
delivery)  if  so  desired,  express  charges  at  the  purchaser's  ex 
pense.  When  Goods  are  ordered  C.  0.  D.,  to  the  amount  of 
over  $20  and  less  than  $100,  a  deposit  of  15  per  cent,  must 
accompany  the  order  by  mail,  registered,  if  at  my  risk,  and  for 
$100  a  deposit  of  10  per  cent.  This  is  to  secure  freight  expenses 
in  case  the  goods  are  not  taken  by  the  persons  ordering,  and 
this  rule  will  not  be  departed  from.  No  goods  sent  to  the  Terri 
tories  C.  O.  D.  in  less  amounts  than  825.  Orders  for  less 
amounts  must  be  accompanied  by  the  money. 

Customers  will  bear  in  mind  that  in  the  following  price-list, 
where  the  price  of  single  packs,  are  given,  they  will  be  sent 
closely  sealed,  postpaid,  for  that  price.  The  price  per  dozen  is 
net;  freight  at  purchaser's  expense. 


SHARPERS.  237 

Parties  living  at  a  great  distance,  where  the  express  charges 
•would  be  very  heavy,  can  have  their  cards  sent  by  mail  by  the 
dozen  or  half-dozen,  by  remitting,  in  addition  to  the  price  per 
dozen,  $3  extra  for  postage,  on  each  dozen  packs,  and  I  will 
guarantee  safe  delivery. 

I  hold  myself  responsible  for  all  money  sent  by  registered  let 
ter,  also  postal  money  orders. 

PEICE    LIST    OF    MARKED    CARDS. 

Per  pack,  any  style  on  sample  sheet,  postpaid  by  mail,  $1.25 

One  dozen  by  express  for      ---------  10.00 

Two  dozen  ","",*'*  -    -    -    -  18.00 

Three  doz.   "        "         "        26.00 

Six  dozen    "        "      •   "        -    -         ------  48.00 

One  gross    'L        "         "        -    - 85.00 

DEALING,    SQUARE,    AND    ADVANTAGE    CARDS. 

PER  PACK.     PER  UOZ. 

Hart's  LinenEagle  Faro  Cards,  squared  for  dealing,  $1.50  $15.00 
The  same  cut  in  any  form,  either  wedges,  rounds, 

and  straights,  or  end  rounds, 3.00  30.00 

Spanish  Monte  Cards, 75"  6.00 

Ordinary  Cards,  cut  for  strippers,  brief,  or  any 

other  style, 1.25  9.00 

Three-card  Monte  Tickets, 1.00  8.00 

Flag-backs,  marked,  per  pack,  ------    1.50  12.00 

Any  of  the  above  cut  for  strippers,  50  cents  per  pack  extra,  or 
$3  per  dozen. 

FARO    BOXES    AND    TOOLS. 

Square  Dealing  Faro  Box,  German  Silver,  extra  heavy 

silver  plate,    -. $25.00 

Two-card  Faro  Box,  top  sight  tell,  improved  lever,  best 

in  use, 60.00 

Back  up,  second  card  box,  for  Red  and  Blacks,     -    -        35.00 

Card  Press  without  cover,    --- 6.00 

Card  Press  with  slide  cover,  compartment  for  dealing- 
box,  lock  and  key, -        10.00 


238  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

Card  Press  same  as  above  to  hold  a  dozen  packs,  double,  $14.00 

Card  Punches,  steel,      -----------  4.00 

"           "      silver,  with  hinge, 10.00 

Trimming  Shears,  double  edged  cutter, 35.00 

Knile,  small, .-  20.00 

11     large, 50.00 

Stripper  Plates,  to  use  with  knife,  per  set 5.00 

Case-keeper,  Cards,  Wooden  Markers,       -    -    -    -    •  12.00 

"               Composition  Markers,    ------  15.00 

"               finest  painted  Ivory  Markers,  -    -    -    -  25.00 

Check  Racks, 5.00 

"          "      small, 4.00 

Card  Box,  to  hold  Checks,  Dealing-box,  Cards,  Case- 
keepers,  Card-racks,    50.00 

Shuffling  Board, 2.00 

Ruled  Cue-papers,  or  Faro  Tabs,  per  hundred,      -    -    -  1.50 

"                  "                  "        per  thousand,     -    -    -  12.00 

BROADCLOTH  AND  OILCLOTH  SPREADS. 

Broadcloth  Faro  Lay-outs,  best  quality,    -----  $18.00 

"             "           "        mounted  on  board,    -    -    -  23.00 

"            "           "        on  fold-up  board,      -    -    -  28.00 

Enameled  Oilcloth  Faro  Lay-outs,    -------  10.00 

Broadcloth  Roulette  Lay-outs,  7  feet  by  4i  double,  -    -  50.00 

Enameled  Oilcloth  Roulette  Lay-outs,  3  ft.  by  3  ft.  9  in.,  10.00 

Red  and  Black  or  Rouge  et  Noir  Cloth,  large,      -    -    -  18.00 

"             "      size  Faro  Lay-out, 14.00 

Eight-Dice  Cloths,   --- 16.00 

Ten-Dice          "        20.00 

Feather  and  Anchor  Cloths.     Emblems — horse  head, 

anchor,  feather,  game  cock,  leaf,  and  star,    -    -    -  10.00 
Mustang  or  Horse  Head  Cloths.  Emblems — horse  head, 

anchor,  club,  spade,  diamond,  and  heart,      -    -    -  10.00 

Sweat  Cloth,  large  gilt  figures, -  5.00 

Over  and  Under  Seven, 5.00 

Different  styles  of  above  painted  to  order,  same  price. 

Old  Faro  Cloths  repainted  for 8.00 


SHAKPEKS. 


239 


FAKO     CHECKS, 


FIKST 

SECOND 

QUALITY. 

QUALITY. 

hundi 

red  -    -    -  $32.00. 

28.00 

u 

•     -     -     35.00. 

30.00 

11 

-     -    -     37.50. 

32.50 

u 

-     -     -     35.00. 

30.00 

It 

-     -     -     37.50. 

32.50 

11 

-     -     -     40.00. 

35.00 

£,-'(!<»() 

19-16  "  " 

H  " 

H  "  fancy  engraving 

19-16  "  " 


Complete  Faro  Kits  per  set, 

Comprising  the  following:  Extra  heavy  plated  Dealing-box, 
600  H  inch  Composition  Ivory  Checks,  1  Oilcloth  Lay-out,  1  Case- 
keeper,  1  Check  Rack,  and  1  Card  Press. 

Composition  Ivory  Checks,  per  set,  ----«---    $30.00 
Per  hundred,  for  any  less  than  set,   -------        6.00 

The  above  comprise  in  each  set  600  H  inch  Checks  :  300  white, 
200  red,  100  blue,  with  Markers,  Coppers,  and  Splits,  in  neat  fit 
ting  box,  and  the  same  as  sold  by  other  parties  for  $50  per  set. 


POKES    CHIPS. 

Parties  sending  for  Poker  Chips  will  please  specify  the  number 
wanted  of  each  color. 

$10.00 
12.00 
14.00 
4.00 
3.00 
5.00 
7.00 
9.00 
12.00 


Ivory,  size  1  inch,  per  hundred,   -------- 

fi  ((       Jl       U  (I  ........ 

It  U      Jl       U  U  ......... 

Composition  Ivory,  H  inch,  will  size  up     -    -    -    -    - 
Bone,  cut  to  measure  or  to  size  up,  1  inch,  per  hundred, 

«  II  U  J  I         U  II 

u  «  a  i       «  « 


DICE,     ETC. 

Set  loaded  Dice,  best  Ivory,  9  Dice,  3  high,  3  low,  3 
square  ;  warranted  sure,  exact  imitation  of  common 

Dice, -.....-... 

Set  3  High  or  Low  Dice,    ---------- 

Three  Square,  to  match, 


2.50 
1.00 


240  WANDERINGS  OF  A   VAGABOND. 

Feather  aud  Anchor  Dice,  £  inch,  per  set,  $10.00.  liuch,  $14.00 

Mustang  or  Horsehead  Dice,  £  inch      "        10.00.  1   "  14.00 

Box  lor  throwing  above  for  finch  Dice  "         2.50.  1  "  4.00 

Ron'do  Balls,  eight  in  set,  size  H  inch 6.00 

"                "                "           H    " 8.00 

Eight-sidedTop  Dice,  that  you  can  spin  high  or  low,  and 

force  your  opponent  to  spin  as  you  desire,     -    -    -  2.50 

Dead  Props  per  set,  9  in  set,  ---------  12.00 

Square  Props,  4  in  set, 2.50 

KEtfO. 

Consisting  of  Globe  and  Stand,  Proof- board,  100  Cards, 

90  boxwood  Balls, $45.00 

Keno,  very  handsome  finish,  consisting  of  Globe  and 
Stand,  Proof-board,  20  Cards,  best  style,  Tally- 
board,  90  boxwood  Pegs,  and  90  boxwood  Balls, 

medium  size, 80.00 

Same  as  above,  with  best  Ivory  Balls,    ------  100.00 

Extra  large  size,  same  as  above,  with  best  Ivory  Balls,  125.00 

Boxwood  Balls, 100.00 

Keno  Cards,  per  set  of  200,    3  rows  figures,     -    -"   -    -  25.00 

"              "            "    100,    9  "          " 18.00 

"              "            "     50,  18  "          " 18.00 

"              "            "    200,    3  "          " 15.00 

SPECIALTIES. 

The  Sleeve  Machine,  for  holding  out,  or  playing  extra  cards, 
the  most  perfect  piece  of  mechanism  ever  invented  for  this  pur 
pose.  This  article  works  in  the  coat-sleeve  noiselessly,  admits  of 
holding  the  hands  in  the  most  natural  manner,  requires  no  false 
movements,  and  weighs  about  four  ounces.  This  article  is  man 
ufactured  by  no  other  firm  in  this  country,  and  is  guaranteed  to 
be  all  it  is  advertised.  Price,  with  full  directions  for  use,  $35.00. 

Right  and  Left  Snap  Roulette  Wheel,  small,  for  high  or  low 
numbers,  6  inch  center,  price  $20.00. 

The  Breastworks,  or  "  vest  hold-out,"  concealed  in  vest  front, 
and  worked  by  the  foot  with  spiral  coils  and  catgut.  Price 
$25.00, 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  241 

The  "  Bug,"  a  contrivance  for  playing  an  extra  card,  utterly 
defying  detection,  price  $1.00. 

This  accommodating  gentleman,  after  enumerating  many  more 
articles,  under  the  head  of  sundries,  but  with  which  we  have 
nothing  to  do,  they  being  articles  in  legitimate  use  in  various 
games,  and  several  books  on  games  and  the  manly  art  of  self  de 
fense,  informs  his  patrons  that  all  his  business  is  confidential, 
and  appends  his  full  name  at  the  end  of  his  circular  with  as  much 
confidence  as  if  the  articles  which  he  advertises  were  an  inesti 
mable  boon  to  his  race. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

It  has  become  the  custom  of  newspaper  and  magazine  writers, 
when  they  have  designs  on  the  pockets  of  some  wealthy  individ 
ual,  to  treat  their  readers  to  a  biographical  sketch  of  the  victim, 
enumerating  his  virtues,  and  endeavoring  to  force  upon  the  world 
at  large  the  idea  that  he  is  a  benefactor  to  his  race.  If  the  sub- . 
ject  of  their  adoration  be  possessed  of  any  vices,  these  they  are 
careful  to  keep  in  the  background,  and  if  he  has  oppressed  and 
impoverished  many,  while  feathering  his  own  nest,  a  discreet 
silence  is  kept  on  that  point  also. 

These  sketches  generally  commence :  "Of  all  the  remarkable 
men  of  our  age,"  or,  "  One  of  the  self-made  men  of  our  times."  As 
it  is  my  intention  to  marshal  before  my  readers  a  few  of-the  most 
prominent  sharpers  of  the  day,  I  shall  class  them  also  as  "  the 
self-made  men  of  our  times."  All  sharpers,  or  nearly  all,  are 
essentially  self-made  men.  Most  of  them  have  sprung  from  the 
lower,  and,  in  many  cases,  the  lowest  order  of  society.  The  ma 
jority  have  not  received  even  a  common  school  education,  and 
not  one  in  ten,  in  their  boyhood,  had  any.moral  training.  Some 
of  them  have  schooled  themselves,  after  arriving  at  manhood; 
but  many  are  entirely  destitute  of  any  education  whatever.  I 
shall  now  introduce  to  my  reader, 


242  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

Mil.    ELIJAH     SKAGGS. 

He  was  born  and  raised  in  the  backwoods  of  Kentucky,  near 
the  northern  line  of  Tennessee.  In  this  section,  book-learniug 
sunk  into  the  veriest  insignificance,  before  the  knowledge  of  the 
high  arts  of  card-playing,  cock-fighting,  and  running  quartet- 
horses,  and  the  butchering  of  one's  neighbors,  in  the  most  scien 
tific  manner.  Here  had  the  Vendetta  reigned  a  hundred  years, 
and  the  only  law  in  force,  that  of  the  bullet  and  the  bowie-knife. 
The  Skaggs  family,  which  was  a  numerous  one,  cultivated  a  small 
farm,  from  which  they  extracted  sufficient  hog  and  hominy  to 
keep  them  from  starvation.  The  only  member  whose  ambitious 
soul  soared  above  these  sordid  pursuits,  or  showed  any  particular 
genius,  was  Elijah,  the  subject  of  this  present  sketch.  He  was 
a  steady,  sober,  and  industrious  youth,  who  disliked  strife  and 
avoided  all  roistering  company.  He  was  inordinately  fond  of 
money,  and  looked  with  a  keen  eye  about  him  to  see  where  it 
was  to  be  made.  In  the  region  round  about  where  he  lived, 
there  was  more  money  to  be  made  in  gambling  than  anything 
else;  consequently,  young  Skaggs  studied  the  science  of  card- 
playing,  and,  at  the  age  of  twenty  years,  knew  considerably 
more  about  a  pack  of  cards  than  a  plow.  By  his  prudent  habits, 
combined  with  his  skill  at  cards,  he  managed  to  accumulate, 
from  among  the  boys  in  his  neighborhood,  about  two  thousand 
dollars,  a  large  sum  in  those  parts,  even  for  so  aspiring  a  youth 
as  young  Skaggs.  But  it  was  not  to  be  expected  that  so  much 
genius  should  confine  itself  to  a  small,  half-civilized  settlement 
in  the  backwoods  of  Kentucky.  A  thousand  times  no !  So  Mr. 
Skaggs  shed  his  butternuts,  and  bought  a  suit  of  store  clothes, 
and  left  the  roof  of  the  paternal  Skaggs.  He  appeared  in  Nash 
ville,  dressed  in  a  frock-coat  and  pants  of  black  broadcloth,  a 
black  silk  vest  and  patent  leather  boots,  a  white  shirt  with 
standing  collar,  and  around  his  neck  was  wound  a  white  choker, 
while,  resting  on  his  cranium,  was  a  black  stove-pipe  hat,  which 
completed  his  attire.  His  long,  attenuated,  and  awkward  frame, 
together  with  his  solemn  young  face  and  demure  habits,  created 
quite  a  sensation  in  the  town,  and  caused  him  to  be  nicknamed 
the  "preaching  faro-dealer." 

For  twenty  years  and  upwards  he  never  changed  his  style  of 
dress.  In  the  earliest  days  of  California,  when  nearly  every  one 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  243 

dressed  in  the  rough,  Skaggs  still  held  on  to  his  clerical  style,  and 
his  appearance  in  a  mining  canip  was  the  cause  of  considerable 
stir  and  merriment  among  the  miners,  which  was  only  surpass 
ed  by  their  astonishment  when  he  proceeded  to  open  a  faro  or 
monte  bank,  instead  of  a  prayer-meeting,  as  they  had  anticipated. 

The  rude  jokes  made  upon  his  personal  appearance,  and  the 
sarcastic  reflections  cast  upon  his  habits,  passed  Mr.  Skaggs  like 
the  idle  wind  that  blows.  He  wanted  money,  and  he  knew  he 
could  make  it,  by  his  ability  and  industry. 

He  soon  discovered  the  inconvenience  of  the  want  of  educa 
tion,  and  the  year  after  that  in  which  he  had  launched  himself  on 
the  world,  hired  a  schoolmaster  to  accompany  him  in  his  travels 
while  in  search  of  faro-players,  and  thus  picked  up  a  good  busi 
ness  education. 

In  the  meantime  he  made  himself  acquainted  with  the  dif 
ferent  arts  in  vogue  among  sharpers  for  fleecing  the  unwary. 
He  possessed  no  inventive  faculty,  but  had  a  keen  sense  for  de 
tecting  any  unnatural  deviation  at  play,  and  whenever  his  sus 
picions  were  aroused,  would  watch  for  hours  with  the  patience  of 
a  sleuth-hound,  never  drawing  on  himself  the  suspicion  that  he 
was  spying  upon  them.  If  successful  in  unraveling  the  mystery, 
as  soon  as  the  game  was  broken  up  he  called  aside  the  prin 
cipal  sharper  putting  the  trick  in  practice,  and  forced  him  to 
divide  his  future  play  with  him.  If  unable  to  detect  the  fraud, 
he  tried  to  purchase  the  secret,  and,  if  successful,  when  in  pos 
session  of  it  he  confined  himself  strictly  to  his  room  until  he 
could  play  it  to  his  satisfaction,  and  when  it  came  to  fraudulent 
schemes  for  robbing  players  at  faro,  but  few  better  executors 
than  himself  could  be  found  anywhere. 

It  is  said  that  he  watched  a  sharper  manipulating  "tie-ups  " 
upon  his  customers,  for  several  nights,  without  being  able  to  dis 
cover  the  nature  of  the  trick.  He  was  convinced  that  a  decep 
tion  existed,  from  the  unnatural  movements  of  the  hands  of 
the  artist  while  shuffling  the  cards;  but  more  from  their 
strange  manner  of  running,  more  particularly,  the  last  four  cases 
on  a  deal  losing,  while  the  double  cards  were  winning,  and  this 
occurred  only  when  the  operator  took  a  fresh  pack  of  cards. 
Even  this  knowledge  he  could  make  profitable,  by  betting  on  the 
double  cards  remaining  in  the  box,  at  the  close  of  all  deals  made 
with  a  fresh  pack,  and  thereby  winning  several  hundreds  before 


244  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

the  sharper  should  drop  on  him.  But  Mr.  Skaggs  scorned  to 
take  such  a  mean  advantage  of  a  brother  sharper;  besides,  the 
trick,  once  in  his  possession,  would  be  a  hundred-fold  more  valu 
able  to  him.  Therefore,  having  failed  to  detect  the  nature  of 
the  fraud,  he  sought  an  audience  with  the  manipulator,  and  said 
to  him,  "  You're  working  on  your  players.  I've  been  for  some 
time  trying  to  find  out  what  you  are  doing.  Now  I  want  to  buy 
that  trick;  you  may  just  as  well  sell  it  to  me,  because  if  you  don't 
I'll  follow  you  up  everywhere  you  go,  till  I  do  find  it  out,  and  I'll 
play  against  your  game,  and  on  double  cards  every  time  I  believe 
they'll  win.  Take  your  choice,  sell  or  take  the  consequences." 
This  argument  being  irresistible,  after  some  haggling  Skaggs 
paid  eighteen  hundred  dollars  for  the  secret,  after  which  he  se 
cluded  himself  until  able  to  execute  the  trick  to  his  entire  satis 
faction,  when  he  struck  his  tent  and  started  on  a  trip  through 
the  country,  to  work  his  new  fraud  on  moneyed  gamblers,  and  in 
less  than  two  years  time  he  realized  from  it  about  fifty  thousand 
dollars. 

In  this  manner  he  grasped  the  different  arts  invented  at  gam 
ing,  and  skilled  himself  in  the  putting  of  them  into  practice.  Of 
the  numerous  horde  of  sharpers  who  have  battened  upon  suckers, 
I  mean  the  keepers  of  skinning-houses  and  the  other  capitalists, 
among  them  Skaggs  was  the  only  one  who  could  skillfully  execute 
the  different  maneuvers  with  his  own  hands.  And  also,  unlike 
these,  he  would  risk  his  money  on  the  square ;  but  always  with 
the  expectation  that  he  would  have  a  shade  the  best  of  it.  In 
one  word,  in  him  was  combined  the  qualities  of  a  gambler, 
sharper,  and  business  man. 

He  bought  the  friendship  of  every  person  who  added  anything 
in  the  way  of  new  inventions  to  the  frauds  already  known,  by 
furnishing  them  with  means,  if  necessary,  to  perfect  their  inven 
tion,  or  whenever  the  productions  of  their  brains  were  in  anywise 
useful  to  him,  he  put  them  in  practice.  From  among  the  hang 
ers-on  around  faro-rooms,  he  picked  up  young  men  of  genteel 
appearance,  who,  if  they  showed  any  signs  of  ability,  he  educated 
into  artists,  keeping  them  at  close  study  until  he  made  them  per 
fect  manipulators  in  the  science  of  stocking,  and  taking  two 
cards  at  once.  When  satisfied  with  their  attainments,  he  was 
wont  to  place  them  in  pairs  under  the  supervision  of  trustworthy 
agents,  who  were  generally  brothers,  cousins,  or  some  other  con- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  245 

nections  of  the  Skagg  family.  These  worthy  mentors  were  well 
acquainted  with  the  localities  where  faro-players  might  he  found, 
and  they  generally  took  charge  of  the  money,  and  attended  to 
the  business  of  the  firm.  It  may  be  here  premised  that  it  was 
only  to  the  most  tried  and  trustworthy  of  his  artists,  that  Mr. 
Skaggs  ever  entrusted  any  money. 

From  the  year  1853  to  1856,  he  had  scattered  over  the  country, 
from  the  lakes  to  the  gulf,  and  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific, 
as  many  as  twenty  of  these  business  associations,  or  firms,  as  I 
shall  call  them,  for  want  of  a  better  name.  Wherever  play  could 
be  secured,  the  agents  were  instructed  to  hazard  the  bank  money, 
in  all  cases  where  any  doubts  existed,  that  any  attempt  at  cheat 
ing  might  lead  to  detection.  Consequently,  their  games  pos 
sessed  every  appearance  of  fairness,  even  to  the  most  suspicious 
gambler.  For  more  than  two  years  his  schemes  worked  admirably  j 
but  at  length  the  true  character  of  his  games  leaked  out,  and  a 
hue  and  cry  was  raised  against  them  throughout  the  country. 
fill  the  name  of  "  Skaggs'  patent  dealers,"  as  they  were  termed, 
was  a  synonym  among  gamblers  for  all  sorts  of  frauds  and  dis 
honesty  at  the  gaming-table. 

Whenever  .Skaggs  was  notified  by  one  of  his  firms  that  the 
bank  was  broken,  or  its  fortunes  at  a  very  low  ebb,  he  immedi 
ately  telegraphed  for  the  members  to  return,  and  sent  out  a  fresh 
installment  to  fill  their  places. .  When  the  unlucky  operators  ar 
rived,  they  were  furnished  with  another  stake,  and  started  off  to 
a  new  field  of  labor.  He  was  liberal  to  his  "broken"  artists;  in 
fact,  they  were  seldom  otherwise  than  broken ;  he  furnished  them 
with  banks,  money  to  pay  their  expenses,  and  gave  to  each  25 
per  cent,  of  the  profits  after  paying  expenses.  From  each  bank 
to  which  he  furnished  money,  he  deducted  in  advance  a  yearly 
interest  of  ten  per  cent.,  and  if  his  "artists  "  fell  into  his  debt,  he 
took  their  due-bills  for  the  amount. 

He  must  during  his  lifetime  have  educated  and  given  a  start  to 
as  many  as  fifty  artists,  a  few  of  whom  made  money  for  him ;  but 
by  far  the  greater  part  of  them  betrayed  their  trust.  All  these 
individuals  possessed,  in  common  with  their  class,  a  penchant  for 
fine  clothes,  diamonds,  and  jewelry,  and  were  by  no  means  averse 
to  champagne  and  fancy  women.  For  the  supply  of  these  tastes 
money  was  required,  and  when  they  had  squandered  their  own, 
the  money  belonging  to  the  bank  was  brought  into  requisition. 


246  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

Skaggs  was  at  various  periods  concerned  in  first-class  skinning  - 
houses,  both  in  New  York  and  New  Orleans,  and  also  speculated 
in  mules,  sheep,  real  estate,  and  bank-stocks.  As  early  as  1847 
he  owned  a  splendid  sugar  plantation,  within  fifty  miles  of  the 
latter  city,  on  which  he  worked  about  two  hundred  as  likely  look 
ing  negroes  as  could  be  seen  in  the  State.  He  was  in  every 
sense  a  kind  master,  and  when,  in  1848,  cholera  visited  that  region, 
he  staid  upon  his  plantation  and  nursed  those  who  were  stricken 
down  by  it,  as  tenderly  as  if  they  had  been  his  own  children.  He 
lost  but  seven  of  his  slaves,  while  neighboring  plantations  were 
almost  depopulated  by  that  terrible  scourge ;  the  ignorant  blacks 
being  left  to  its  mercy  by  their  cowardly  masters,  who  sought 
safety  in  flight  on  its  first  appearance  among  them. 

About  the  year  1859  he  dismissed  all  his  patent  dealers,  and 
took  no  farther  interest  in  gambling.  The  war  breaking  out 
shortly  afterwards  proved  his  ruin,  the  slaves  being  emancipated, 
and  his  plantation  and  real  estate  property  greatly  depreciated 
in  value.  At  the  commencement  of  tho  war  he  was  worth  a 
million  of  dollars,  at  its  close  he  was  almost  a  pauper.  The  loss 
of  his  plantation  and  negroes  did  not  affect  his  energies.  He  ran 
the  blockade,  speculated  in  cotton  and  sugar  in  and  around 
New  Orleans  with  great  success,  and  would  no  doubt  have  re 
trieved  his  shattered  fortunes,  had  he  not  been  so  strong  a  be 
liever  in  the  ultimate  success  of  the  Confederacy.  To  the  last 
moment  he  bought  its  bonds  and  money,  of  which  he  had  in  his 
possession  about  three  millions  when  that  institution  caved  in. 
This  was  the  heaviest  blow  he  had  ever  received,  and  he  never 
rallied  from  it.  He  stood  up  to  whiskey  for  relief,  and  fought 
manfully  for  over  two  years;  but  it  finally  planted  him  at  last. 
He  died  in  Texas  in  1870,  and  I  doubt  if  he  was  possessed  of  a 
dollar  in  the  world,  or  its  equivalent,  unless  it  was  a  few  acres  of 
unsaleable  land  in  that  State.  Peace  to  his  manes ! 

The  ruling  passion  of  Skaggs  was  the  love  of  money.  When 
worth  a  million  he  would  travel  a  hundred  miles  on  a  stormy 
night,  on  horseback,  if  by  so  doing  he  could  rob  any  one  of  as 
many  dollars  at  cards.  He  would  at  times  take  an  even  hazard 
at  gambling  with  his  money,  which  fact  placed  him  far  above  his 
tribe,  who  never  do  so  suicidal  a  thing.  He  showed  no  traits  of 
generosity  or  liberality  outside  his  own  family  or  kindred ;  but 
nevertheless,  in  all  business  transactions,  was  the  soul  of  probity. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES.  247 

COL.     J.    J.     BETANT. 

This  gentleman  for  many  years  enjoyed  the  honor  of  being 
well-known  in  the  Southwest  and  California.  His  military  title, 
of  which  he  was  vain,  was,  like  those  of  many  others  in  the  South 
ern  States,  a  greatness  thrust  upon  him  by  his  towns-people.  He 
was  a  native  of  Lynchburg,  Va.,  and  there  received  an  ordinary 
education.  Before  he  was  twenty  years  of  age  he  made  his  bow 
to  the  public  from  the  ring  of  a  traveling  circus,  where  he  per 
formed  on  the  slack  rope,  and  swallowed  a  sword  for  the  delec 
tation  of  the  audience.  Becoming  tired  of  his  roving  life,  he  left 
the  circus,  took  to  himself  a  wife  and  settled  down  in  Jackson, 
Miss.,  where  he  opened  a  grocery  store.  Subsequently  he  kept 
a  hotel  in  the  same  place.  In  the  course  of  a  year  or  so  he  cast 
this  business  aside  also,  and  began  trading  in  negroes,  and  it  was 
while  pursuing  this  ennobling  occupation  that  he  was  "dubbed" 
a  "Colonel.  It  is  impossible  to  enumerate,  at  this  late  day,  the 
different  sorts  of  business  the  "Colonel"  was  engaged  in  before 
he  threw  them  all  aside,  in  order  to  devote  his  talents  exclusively 
to  the  green  table ;  but  he  had  always  one  or  more  partners,  and, 
through  some  unexplaned  cause,  a  wrangle  was  the  unvarying 
result  of  any  attempt  at  settlement  on  the  part  of  the  firm.  The 
consequence  of  which  little  misunderstanding  was  usually  a  law 
suit,  of  which  the  "  Colonel"  had  always  an  unfailing  assortment 
on  his  hands,  from  which  he  always  emerged  second  best.  But 
if  his  partners  "bested  "  him  at  law,  they  gained  no  material  ad 
vantage  thereby,  for  the  "Colonel"  was  sure  to  get  away  with 
all  the  available  plunder,  in  spite  of  sheriffs  or  their  auxiliaries. 

Card-playing,  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  wasoneof  the  "  Colonel's" 
accomplishments  which  he  learned  in  early  life,  though  he  con 
fined  his  efforts  exclusively  to  poker,  brag,  and  old  sledge,  which 
games  he  played  remarkably  well.  While  engaged  in  his  differ 
ent  business  operations  he  played  cards  whenever  an  opportunity 
occurred,  and,  having  a  great  veneration  for  the  profession  and  a 
still  more  exalted  opinion  of  his  talents  in  that  line,  he  finally 
cast  aside  all  pretensions  to  other  business,  and  declared  him 
self  a  gambler.  He  was  naturally  a  heavy  better,  and  no  person 
could  be  found  capable  of  winning  more  money  than  he,  if  for 
tune  favored  him.  He  understood  the  advantages  of  display,  and 
spent  his  money  freely  with  those  who  were  rich,  more  especially 


248  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

when  he  had  designs  on  their  pockets.  He  had  more  assurance 
than  twenty  men  ought  to  be  entitled  to,  and  would  obtain  what 
credit  and  borrow  what  money  he  could,  with  the  predetermina 
tion  of  never  paying  a  cent  of  it.  Still,  no  man  in  California  or 
the  Southwestern  States  had  more  wealthy  and  influential  friends 
than  Col.  J.  J.  Bryant. 

It  was  during  the  great  Mississippi  land  sales,  when  Brandon 
money  was  almost  as  plentiful  as  mosquitoes  in  the  swamps  of 
Louisiana,  that  he  commenced  his  gambling  career.  At  that 
period  he  knew  nothing  of  the  arts  of  sharpers.  But  if  he  was 
unable  to  fleece  the  verdant  fools  who  gave  him  their  confidence, 
with  a  two-card  box,  he  borrowed  their  money  under  various 
false  pretenses,  or  induced  them  to  take  an  interest  in  his  games 
and  then  "throw  them  off."  The  following  anecdote  will  serve 
to  show  the  character  of  the  man,  and  the  lengths  he  would  go 
to  obtain  money.  Charles  Cora,  the  same  that  was  afterwards 
hanged  by  the  Vigilance  Committee  of  San  Francisco  in  1856, 
was,  at  the  time  of  the  Vicksburg  land  sales,  and  those  of  Jackson, 
Miss.,  in  1835-'36,  but  eighteen  years  old.  He  was  an  ignorant 
Italian  boy,  and  had  been  picked  up  and  raised  by  a  woman  who 
was  the  keeper  of  a  house  of  prostitution  in  Natchez.  A  constant 
frequenter  of  the  low  gambling  dens  under  the  hill,  he  won  from 
some  of  the  faro-banks  there  about  $2,000.  With  this  money 
he  went  to  New  Orleans  and  won  some  $8,000  more.  He  then 
proceeded  to  Vicksburg,  then  the  liveliest  gambling  place  in 
the  whole  Southwest.  Gambling  banks  existed,  of  various 
kinds,  both  on  the  hill  and  under  the  hill,  in  log-cabins,  board 
houses,  canvas  tents,  and  in  flat-boats.  Vicksburg  was  a  great 
place  in  those  days,  and  Col.  J.  J.  Bryant  was  the  biggest  gam 
bler  in  the  place,  being  interested  in  several  faro-banks  and 
various  other  banks,  and  was  reputed  to  be  worth  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  dollars. 

Cora,  on  his  arrival,  started  in  rough-shod,  and  soon  gobbled  up 
seven  or  eight  faro-banks,  from  which  he  gained  about  $40,000. 
Bryant,  being  deeply  interested  in  the  raided  banks,  started  in 
to  get  even.  Cora  was  an  uncouth  boy,  poorly  versed  in  the  ways 
of  the  world,  or  the  deceptions  of  men.  The  attention  paid  him 
by  so  exalted  a  personage  as  Col.  Bryant  flattered  his  vanity  and 
fairly  turned  his  head.  The  latter  lost  no  time  in  carrying  into 
effect  the  scheme  he  had  concocted  for  getting  quits  with  him. 


BIOGKAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  249 

He  stated  to  Cora  that  he  had  lately  purchased  several  thousand 
acres  of  valuable  land,  which,  in  a  few  days,  he  intended  to  sell 
out,  and  expected  to  realize  from  it  a  million  or  so  of  dollars. 
But  at  the  present  moment  he  was  in  need  of  money  to  meet 
some  small  payments  falling  due,  and  asked  him  for  a  loan  of 
$10,000  for  a  few  days.  It  was  granted  with  pleasure.  Why 
not  ?  The  Colonel's  standing  was  high,  and  his  friendship  would 
be  a  fortune  to  him. 

Bryant  handed  over  the  borrowed  money  to  one  of  his  cronies, 
and  directed  him  to  open  an  unlimited  faro  game  with  it.  To 
this  game  he  brought  Cora  and  gave  him  a  chance  to  win  back 
his  own  money.  I  have  said  before  that  the  Colonel  was  at  this 
time  ignorant  of  any  means  of  cheating ;  but  if  he  had  possessed 
a  good  artist,  Cora  would  certainly  have  proven  a  bully  subject. 
But  the  best  he  could  do  was  to  borrow  his  money,  and  then 
rope  him  in  to  play,  with  the  expectation  that  he  would  break 
himself  against  his  own  stake.  But  Cora  was  in  a  gale  of  good 
luck,  and  walked  off  with  the  $10,000  he  had  loaned  the  Colonel. 
The  latter,  though  repulsed,  was  not  beaten.  He'  had  urgent 
need  of  $10,000  more  for  a  few  days,  to  meet  another  payment, 
which  Cora  loaned  as  willingly  as  the  first.  The  same  disposal 
was  made  of  the  money  as  before.  Cora  was  again  brought  be 
fore  it,  and  told  by  the  dealer  he  could  win  it,  if  so  disposed,  at 
a  single  bet.  He  was  not  quite  so  greedy  as  that,  but  certainly 
did  win  it  in  a  few  deals.  The  day  following,  the  Colonel  again 
struck  Cora  for  $15,000,  which  he  also  obtained.  The  money  was 
put  to  the  same  use  as  the  preceding  $20,000,  and  again  did 
Bryant  entice  his  victim  to  the  bank ;  but  what  was  his  chagrin 
when  Cora  again  walked  off  with  the  $15,000  in  his  pocket. 

It  is  hard  to  tell  how  much  longer  this  little  game  might  have 
lasted,  had  not  one  of  those  meddlesome  and  envious  fellows, 
who,  in  every 'community,  take  such  an  interest  in  the  affairs  of 
their  neighbors,  got  the  ear  of  Cora,  and  maliciously  poisoned 
his  mind  against  the  worthy  Colonel.  Cora  demanded  his  mon 
ey.  The  Colonel  had  nothing  to  give  him  but  promises,  and  a  de 
sire  to  borrow  $15,000  more,  just  to  make  the  debt  an  even 
$00,000.  Cora  was  inexorable,  and  insisted  on  having  his  money. 
The  Colonel,  in  order  to  rid  himself  of  his  importunities,  set  upon 
him  one  of  the  most  noted  desperadoes  of  the  place,  who  man 
aged  to  give  him  such  a  "  healthy  scare  "  that  he  took  the  steam- 


250  -WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

er  for  New  Orleans,  immediately.  It  is  quite  unnecessary  to  add 
that  he  never  received  one  cent  of  the  $35,000  which  he  loaned 
to  Col.  J.  J.  Bryant. 

Previous  to  the  California  excitement,  which  called  the 
Colonel  to  the  Pacific  coast,  he  confined  his  operations  to  the 
States  of  Alabama,  Louisiana,  and  Mississippi.  During  the  sum 
mer  season  he  visited  the  most  frequented  watering  places,  and 
in  the  winter  spent  his  time  iu  New  Orleans,  Mobile,  or  Jackson, 
Mississippi.  At  this  period,  his  inseparable  companion  was 
Allen  Jones,  a  man  whom  I  shall  introduce  to  my  readers  in  my 
next  sketch.  This  delectable  pair  were  acquainted  with  every 
business  man,  sporting  man,  professional  man,  or  planter,  in  the 
whole  region,  who  could  play  a  game  of  cards.  To  such  flats  as 
they  could  skin  in  a  rough  manner  at  games  of  short  cards,  they 
showed  but  little  mercy,  but  neither  of  them  could  have  worked 
a  two-card  box  upon  the  veriest  fool.  This  difficulty  was,  how 
ever,  easily  overcome,  as  they  knew  the  principal  brace-dealers 
who  made  New  Orleans  or  Mobile  their  stamping  ground  every 
winter,  and  to  their  dens  they  roped  their  fat  gulls  fresh  from 
the  country  for  skinning.  During  each  session  of  the  Legisla 
ture,  held  at  Jackson,  Mississippi,  they  ran  a  faro-bank  in  that 
place,  which  was  patronized  by  the  most  wealthy  and  eminent 
men  of  the  State,  who  met  there  for  the  purpose  of  law-making. 
These  worthies  attended  to  their  game  themselves.  Not  even 
an  artist  would  they  keep,  for  fear  he  might  become  acquainted 
with  their  patrons,  and  meeting  them  in  New  Orleans  or  Mobile, 
have  them  roped  into  houses  there,  and  skinned.  The  Colonel 
and  his  estimable  partner  desired  a  monopoly  of  that  business. 

It  does  not  appear  that  the  Colonel  and  his  partner  had 
accumulated  any  large  sum  of  money  during  the  time  of  which  I 
speak.  Both  were  extravagant  livers,  both  had  large  families, 
and  were  fond  of  playing  at  faro,  which,  together,  served  to  keep 
them  almost  impoverished.  These  two  worthies  separated  in 
1849,  and  Colonel  Bryant  sailed  for  the  Eldorado  to  seek  his 
fortune. 

The  Colonel  reached  San  Francisco  early  in  the  fall  of  1864. 
Within  a  few  weeks  after  his  arrival,  he  won,  playing  at  monte, 
about  $75,000.  He  immediately  sent  to  his  family  about  $25,000, 
and  spent  as  much  more  in  endeavoring  to  procure  his  election 
as  sheriff  hi  San  Francisco.  The  gamblers  of  the  place  were  his 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  5251 

bitterest  opponents;  not  that  they  disliked  him  personally,  but 
because  they  considered  him  unlit  for  the  office.  He  would, 
however,  in  all  probability,  have  been  elected,  had  it  not  been  for 
the  opportune  arrival  of  Colonel  Jack  Hays  from  Texas,  about 
four  days  previous  to  the  election.  The  undeserved  laurels 
which  he  had  gained  in  the  Mexican  war  were  yet  freah  when 
he  made  his  appearance  in  San  Francisco.  In  the  enthusiasm 
of  the  moment,  they  pitted  him  against  Bryant,  whom  he  easily 
defeated. 

About  a  month  after  this  disastrous  affair,  he  opened  in  the 
city  the  finest  hotel  which  had  ever  been  seen  in  the  State.  But 
the  times  were  out  of  joint  for  such  a  costly  undertaking,  and 
the  Colonel  sunk  what  money  he  had  with  him  in  the  country, 
at  the  venture. 

Knowing  how  popular  he  was  with  his  faro-bank  players,  the 
proprietor  of  the  Eldorado  gambling  saloon  in  San  Francisco 
put  up  for  the  Colonel  the  largest  faro-bank  in  their  house,  in 
which  they  gave  him  an  interest  of  one-third  of  the  profits. 
This  bank  could  win  or  lose  daily,  on  an  average,  $20,000,  and 
was  one  of  the  most  lucrative  games  in  the  country.  The  bank 
continued  its  success  until  something  more  than  three  months 
had  passed,  and  during  that  time,  on  each  tri-weekly  steamer 
which  left  for  Panama,  Bryant  shipped  to  his  wife,  in  Virginia, 
his  share  of  the  winnings  of  the  bank,  and  so  continued  to  do 
until  he  had  sent  about  $30,000.  Finally  fortune  deserted  them, 
and  in  about  six  weeks  the  bank  lost  $50,000.  The  Colonel  then 
abandoned  it,  in  spite  of  the  demands  and  entreaties  of  the 
proprietors,  who  insisted  he  should  conduct  the  game  until  it 
won  him  out  of  their  debt. 

After  this  event,  I  do  not  think  the  Colonel  was  ever  con 
nected  with  another  banking  game,  but  he  played  heavily 
against  both  faro  and  moiite  whenever  he  had  money,  which  was 
not  always.  When  broke,  he  relied  on  borrowing  from  business 
men  whom  he  had  known  in  the  States,  and  seldom  paid  them 
back  unless  some  extraordinary  pressure  was  brought  to  bear  on 
him.  As  he  would  scorn  to  strike  his  victim  for  less  than  a 
thousand  dollars  at  a  time,  it  will  readily  be  seen  how  severely 
he  must  have  punished  his  too-confiding  creditors.  Whenever 
he  was  successful  in  winning  at  bank  as  much  as  $10,000,  he  at 
once  shipped  it  off  to  his  wife,  to  whom,  if  his  own  story  be  true, 


252  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

he  shipped  altogether,  while  in  California,  $110,000.  This  money 
he  lavished  freely  on  his  large  family  of  sons  and  daughters, 
educating  and  supporting  them  in  the  most  extravagant  style. 
Finally  he  played  himself  completely  out  in  California,  and  in 
the  year  1856  left  that  country. 

In  the  winter  of  1858  he  opened  a  suite  of  magnificent  rooms 
on  Canal  street,  New  Orleans.  The  fitting  up  and  furnishing 
of  these  rooms  cost  about  $18,000.  Yet  the  Colonel  did  not  expend 
one  penny  on  them,  but  got  all  this  done  on  the  strength  of  his 
tongue.  In  addition  to  this,  he  borrowed  from  a  prominent 
jewelry  establishment  in  the  place,  about  $30,000  worth  of  sil 
ver-plate,  to  set  off  his  side-board  and  table. 

This  was  the  first  skinning-house  which  the  Colonel  ever  con 
ducted.  The  two  partners  who  run  the  place  with  him  were  as 
poor  as  himself,  but  both  could  exercise  a  two-card  box  to  per 
fection,  and  the  Colonel  had  a  healthy  opinion  of  himself  as  a 
roper;  nor  was  he  deceived.  The  house,  though  not  in  the  im 
mediate  vicinity  of  the  hotels,  made  during  its  first  winter  about 
$44,000,  of  which  the  Colonel  received  one-half,  while  the  other 
half  was  divided  between  the  two  other  partners.  Meanwhile 
the  Colonel  had  exercised  his  talents  outside  against  different 
faro-banks,  and  was  so  fortunate  as  to  beat  them  out  of  about 
$20,000. 

One  would  naturally  suppose  that  the  Colonel,  being  so  success 
ful,  would  pay  those  whom  he  had  induced  to  fit  up  his  house  on 
credit.  But  no!  not  one  cent  would  he  pay;  it  was  entirely 
against  his  principles.  The  most  any  of  his  creditors  got  was 
the  upholsterer,  who  got  his  furniture  back  after  it  had  been  used 
all  winter.  Even  his  wine  merchant  he  cheated,  or  did  not  pay 
his  bill  of  two  thousand  dollars.  He  never  attempted  to  avoid 
his  creditors;  he  would  scorn  so  mean  an  action  as  that;  besides, 
he  was  not  afraid  of  any  one.  He  was  a  fighter  if  fighting  was 
requisite;  but  always  put  off  his  creditors  with,  "I  can't  pay  you 
now,  but  I'll  pay  you  shortly."  But  that  shortly  never  came  to 
a  head  with  the  Colonel. 

The  following  winter  he  fitted  up,  at  a  cost  of  forty  thousand 
dollars,  a  suite  of  rooms  opposite  the  St.  Charles  Hotel.  In  this 
magnificent  establishment,  the  finest  of  its  kind  ever  seen  in  New 
Orleans,  he  had  three  partners.  His  success  of  the  previous 
winter  had  filled  him  with  the  most  extravagant  ideas.  He  im- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  253 

agined  that  he  was  going  to  make  in  his  new  house  one  million 
dollars  during  the  winter,  and  in  order  to  outdo  all  the  other 
skinning  establishments  in  the  city,  he  wanted  to  have  an  en 
closed  passage  from  the  second  story  of  the  St.  Charles  Hotel, 
leading  across  the  street  into  his  skinning-deu.  His  club  house 
cards,  emblazoned  with  his  name,  he  distributed  about  the 
reading  and  bar-rooms,  and  even  in  the  ladies'  parlor.  But  the 
proprietors  would  not  consent  to  the  passage-way ;  nevertheless, 
his  house  was  nightly  filled,  and  during  the  winter  robbed  from 
its  foolish  patrons  nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars. 
The  year  following,  murmurs  of  war  began  to  disturb  the  equa 
nimity  of  the  South.  Money  became  less  plentiful  among  the 
gulls,  even  plantations  worked  by  negro  slaves  could  not  bring  it 
forth  from  its  hiding-place.  It  began  to  look  rather  squally  for 
the  skinning- dens.  The  Colonel  thought  so,  and  disposed  of  his 
share  in  the  house  to  his  partners. 

During  the  war  he  fitted  up  in  Mobile  a  splendid  establish 
ment,  which  he  ran  successfully  for  about  two  years,  when  it  was 
closed  by  the  military  authorities.  In  this  house  he  made  more 
than  a  million  of  dollars,  which  was,  however,  in  Confederate 
money.  Being  a  strong  believer  in  the  ultimate  success  of  the 
Confederacy,  he  held  on  to  it  until  it  became  worthless.  With  the 
close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  New  Orleans  without  a  dollar. 
He  had  lost  one  of  his  sons  in  the  Confederate  service,  and  his 
wife  was  at  that  time  living  with  one  of  his  married  daughters  hi 
California.  But  in  New  Orleans  he  found  his  old  friend,  Allen 
Jones,  keeping  a  fashionable  skinning-shop,  and  he  extended  to 
the  Colonel  a  helping  hand  for  the  sake  of  "auld  lang  syne," 
and  gave  him  a  half  interest  in  his  business.  Here  he  remained 
until  the  year  1868, 'at  which  time  he  was  killed  in  the  rotunda 
of  the  St.  Charles  Hotel,  by  one  Col.  Tate,  of  Texas.  He  had 
roped  Tate  to  his  den  and  caused  him  to  be  skinned  of  what 
money  he  had  about  him.  He  now  asked  for  checks  on  credit, 
which  were  furnished  him ;  he  left  the  house  in  its  debt  about  one 
hundred  dollars.  As  he  did  not  return  to  liquidate  his  indebted 
ness,  Bryant,  after  the  lapse  of  a  few  days,  went  in  search  of  him. 
He  found  him  seated  in  the  rotunda  of  the  St.  -Charles.  An 
altercation  ensued  between  them,  in  the  course  of  which  Bryant 
made  a  motion  as  if  he  were  about  to  draw  a  weapon.  Tate,  be 
lieving  his  life  to  be  in  danger,  drew  a  pistol  and  shot  his  opponent 


254  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

dead  on  the  spot.  He  was  tried  on  the  charge  of  murder,  and 
acquitted. 

If  Bryant  ever  paid  one  of  his  creditors  a  debt  of  a  thousand 
dollars,  he  did  so  with  the  expectation  of  making  ten  thousand 
dollars  by  the  operation.  To  use  an  expressive  Americanism,  he 
was  "  a  dead  beat."  He  beat  everybody  he  could  who  was  worth 
beating,  and  was  no  respecter  of  persons  outside  his  own  family 
and  profession.  He  was  uneducated  and  uncultivated,  possessed 
of  neither  wit  nor  conversational  powers  of  any  sort,  but  his  con 
summate  impudence  and  tact  overcame  all  difficulties.  His  extra 
ordinary  success  in  obtaining  so  many  dupes  on  whom  to  prey 
was  due  to  his  profuse  liberality,  his  extravagant  habits,  and  the 
generous  manner  in  which  he  entertained  those  with  whom  he 
came  in  contact.  Aside  from  these,  his  many  heavy  losses  and 
winnings  had  established  for  him  a  sort  of  frothy  reputation,  on 
the  strength  of  which  he  obtained  credit  with  the  unwary,  who 
believed  him  honest,  and  at  any  moment  likely  to  handle  large 
sums  of  money.  Hundreds  of  such  confiding  idiots  found  too 
late  what  was  his  real  character,  and  cursed  the  hour  in  which 
they  first  made  the  acquaintance  of  Col.  J.  J.  Bryant. 

"Descend  to  hell  with  the  curses  of  orphans  and  widows!" 
shrieked  a  half  maniac  woman,  as  she  gazed  on  the  bloody  and 
pallid  face  of  Kobespierre,  as  he  lay  in  the  tumbril  which  was 
dragging  him  to  the  guillotine.  The  curse  was  re-echoed  through 
Christendom;  yet  the  landlord  of  Robespierre  loved  him,  and 
his  brother  gave  his  life  for  him. 

With  all  his  grand  faults,  Bryant  had  also  his  redeeming  qual 
ities.  He  was  generous  and  liberal  to  a  fault,  and  the  indigent 
never  called  upon  him  in  vain.  He  would  sell  the  coat  from  his 
back  to  assist  a  stranger  in  need.  He  was  the  foe  of  all  cruelty' 
and  had  plenty  of  nerve  to  oppose  it,  and  did  so  successfully 
whenever  he  had  an  even  chance.  He  paid  liberally  those  who 
labored  for  him,  and  never  was  known  to  cheat  a  small  trades 
man  out  of  his  bill.  With  his  partners  he  was  honest.  His  ne<rro 
servant,  Sully,  lived  with  him  over  thirty  years.  The  Colonel 
purchased  him  with  his  wife  and  children,  the  latter  of  whom  he 
caused  to  be  educated  at  one  of  the  schools  in  Ohio,  and  so 
great  was  the  attachment  of  Sully  nnd  his  wife,  that,  duriner  the 
reign  of  slavery,  they  followed  the  Colonel  and  his  family  to  Cali 
fornia  and  back  again  to  the  slave  States.  However  straitened 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  255 

might  be  bis  circumstances — anu  ^o  was  frequently  witbout  money 
for  weeks  at  a  time — he  could  not  be  induced  to  oell  one  of  his 
slaves,  nor  did  he  fail  to  take  the  best  of  care  of  his  own  family. 
However  hard  pressed  he  might  be  for  money,  his  wife  and 
children  were  well  provided  for.  His  sons  and  daughters  were 
educated  in  the  best  colleges  and  schools;  one  of* the  former 
fell,  fighting  for  the  Confederacy,  while  the  other  is  now  a  prac 
ticing  physician  in  Illinois.  His  three  daughters  all  married 
respectable  men,  one  of  whom  is  an  able  lawyer  of  California. 

The  two  characters  which  I  have  endeavored  to  sketch  for 
the  reader  are  dissimilar  in  habits,  manners  and  disposition,  yet 
each  were  no  less  pirates  on  society.  One  was  generous  and  ex 
travagant,  while  the  other  was  mean  and  stingy.  One  was  a 
fraud  in  nearly  all  his  business  transactions,  while  the  other 
was  the  soul  of  probity.  Both  of  them  would,  however,  hazard 
their  money  at  'the  gambling-table  on  the  square,  which  places 
them  as  far  above  the  common  run  of  sharpers  as  the  brilliancy 
of  the  diamond  surpasses  a  piece  of  common  charcoal.  I  shall 
now  introduce  two  other  worthies,  who  are  a  fair  specimen  of 
those  men  who  are  running  aristocratic  skirming-games  in  our 
large  cities  and  at  our  fashionable  watering-places. 

ALLEN     JONES. 

This  name  has  already  figured  in  the  foregoing  sketch,  as 
the  partner  of  Col.  J.  J.  Bryant,  and  I  would  have  spared  my 
readers  any  further  acquaintance  with  him,  had  not  his  unpre 
cedented  meanness  and  his  wonderful  success  in  the  skinning 
business  rendered  him  conspicuous  among  his  class. 

Allen  Jones  was  a  native  of  Tennessee,  and  a  saddler  by 
trade.  In  the  year  1839,  at  which  period  he  was  about  thirty 
years  old,  he  possessed  a  well-stocked  saddlery  business  in  the 
thriving  town  of  Huntsville,  Ala.  Col.  Bryant  on  one  of  his  pre 
datory  excursions  made  his  acquaintance,  and  stripped  him  of 
saddles,  bridles,  money,  and  all  the  rest  and  residue  of  his  pos 
sessions  at  the  fascinating  game  of  poker.  Being  the  first  person 
who  had  ever  trounred  him  at  that  game,  he  conceived  a  very 
high  opinion  of  the  Colonel's  abilities,  and  petitioned  to  become 
his  traveling  companion.  The  Colonel  magnanimously  consented? 
and  for  the  greater  part  of  the  next  decade  they  were  known  as 


256  -WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

the  Orestes  and  Pylades  of  the  gambling  fraternity — swindling 
in  company,  living  upon  an  undivided  purse,  and  fighting  each 
other's  battles.  When  so  great  a  sensation  was  caused  through 
out  the  land  by  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California,  the  erratic 
nature  of  Bryant  predisposed  him  to  catch  the  infection,  which 
he  did  in  its  most  virulent  form.  But  the  practical  Jones  saw 
more  gold  in  the  cotton  pods  of  the  Southern  States  than  in 
traversing  stormy  seas  to  join  in  the  breathless  scramble  of  the 
millions  who  were  flocking  to  the  Golden  Gate.  The  partnership 
was  accordingly  dissolved,  having  lasted  ten  years.  The  insep 
arables  parted,  whether  in  tears  I  am  unable  to  say,  but  as 
neither  were  much  given  to  the  "melting  mood"  I  presume 
pocket  handkerchiefs  were  not  introduced  at  the  final  moment. 
Jones'  career  had  been  a  rather  checkered  one  since  he 
abandoned  the  honest  trade  of  a  saddler  to  follow  the  precarious 
chances  of  gambling.  Frequent  combats  with  the  "tiger, "in 
which  he  pretty  generally  came  out  second  best,  had  kept  him 
impoverished.  He  beat  up  suckers,  and  cheated  them  out  of 
their  money  at  short  cards,  or  roped  them  to  "  brace  dealers," 
there  to  be  skinned,  and  squandered  the  fruits  of  his  endeavors 
at  faro.  Nor  did  he  show  any  signs  of  reform  until  in  the  winter 
of  1852,  when  he  was  offered  a  third  interest  in  one  of  the  se 
cretly  conducted  skin-games  of  New  Orleans,  if  he  would  rope 
for  the  concern.  This  offer  he  accepted.  The  nomadic  life  which 
he  had  led  for  the  last  ten  or  twelve  years  having  made  him  ac 
quainted  with  many  persons  of  wealth  and  respectability  who 
were  fond  of  cards  or  "bucking  the  tiger,"  he  made  a  capital 
roper.  This  was  the  first  house  of  the  sort  in  which  Jones  had 
ever  been  directly  interested,  and  during  the  winter  his  share  of 
the  profits  amounted  to  about  $10,000.  He  now  discovered  his 
true  vocation,  and  the  ready  wealth  which  might  be  amassed  in 
keeping  a  "bird-house"  on  the  same  principle  as  that  of  Pendle- 
ton's,  in  Washington.  But  it  was  dangerous  to  invest  a  large 
sum  of  money  in  such  a  house,  as  it  might  be  at  any  moment 
raided  by  the  police,  and  the  fine  for  gambling  was  $1000  for 
the  first  offense,  and  $5000  for  the  second,  and  on  the  third 
conviction  the  doom  was  two  years  in  the  State  prison.  He 
had  already  passed  the  ordeal  of  the  first  two,  for  dealing  snaps 
of  faro  in  New  Orleans,  and  if  convicted  of  the  third  offense 
stood  in  danger  of  being  punished  for  felony.  However,  he 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  257 

flung  his  fears  to  the  winds,  and  opened,  with  two  other  sharp 
ers,  a  handsomely  fitted  up  establishment  on  Eoyal  street, 
which  proved  a  great  success. 

This  house,  opened  in  the  fall  of  1853,  made,  during  the  ensu 
ing  winter  and  spring,  besides  its  expenses,  something  like 
$55,000.  The  following  winter  the  house  was  again  opened,  and 
met  with  better  success  than  before ;  but  an  informer  smuggled 
himself  into  the  establishment  and  caused  Jones  to  be  indicted 
for  dealing  faro.  The  first  information  he  had  of  the  affair,  was 
the  finding  of  a  true  bill  against  him  by  the  grand  jury,  and 
being  hauled  up  and  obliged  to  give  bail  for  his  appearance  in 
court  to  answer  the  charge  of  gambling.  Jones  stood  his  trial, 
was  convicted,  and  sentenced  to  two  years  in  the  penitentiary, 
but  the  Governor's  pardon  was  presented  to  him  before  leaving 
the  court-house.  He  said  he  had  it  in  his  pocket  during  his 
trial.  Be  that  as  it  may,  he  had  made  powerful  friends,  and  at 
the  next  session  of  the  Legislature,  through  the  influence  of  his 
friends  and  money  caused  the  law  against  gambling  to  be 
stripped  of  the  obnoxious  clause  which  gave  half  the  fine  to  the 
informer,  thus  virtually  destroying  the  law.  The  following  year 
the  Know-nothing  party  got  possession  of  the  city,  and,  as  Jones 
soon  proved  himself  one  of  its  ablest  supporters,  he  was  relieved 
from  all  fears  of  further  persecution.  He  now  showed  the  most 
sordid  and  grasping  disposition;  he  owned  his  establishment, 
and  however  many  sharpers  were  there  employed  to  assist,  he 
invariably  claimed  half  the  plunder.  Not  being  satisfied  with 
this,  he  concocted  the  following  scheme  for  robbing  his  partners. 
Whenever  his  wealthy  patrons  desired  to  gamble  in  his  house  on 
credit,  he  permitted  them  to  do  so,  and  debts  of  this  kind  from 
thirty  to  fifty  thousand  would  be  owing  to  the  house  of  a  season. 
These  debts,  or  a  large  majority  of  them,  he  would  secretly  col 
lect  and  retain  the  money.  Every  winter,  from  1854  to  1860,  he 
kept  a  skinning-house,  and  each  succeeding  winter  had  in  it  a 
new  stable  of  sharpers,  and  of  all  who  served  him,  not  one  ever 
received  one  cent  that  was  due  the  house  when  they  left  it.  His 
partners  traced  up,  at  different  times,  large  sums  of  money  which 
he  had  collected,  a  share  of  which  was  rightfully  theirs,  but 
neither  threats  nor  entreaties  could  induce  him  to  disgorge  a 
single  penny.  The  only  partner  whom  he  was  never  known  to 
swindle,  was  Colonel  J.  J.  Bryant ;  he  was  afraid  to  cut  any  of 


258  WANDERINGS  OP  A  VAGABOND. 

his  capers  on  that  redoubtable  chieftain.  If  one  spark  of 
generosity  ever  glowed  within  the  breast  of  Alien  Jones,  it  was 
stilled  the  moment  he  began  to  accumulate  a  little  money  and 
be  placed  above  actual  want.  Honesty  was  entirely  foreign  to 
his  nature,  and  his  rascally  greedy  and  domineering  disposition 
aroused  against  him  the  enmity  of  his  own  class  to  such  a  degree 
that,  hi  such  a  place  as  New  Orleans  during  the  reign  of  Thug 
gery,  it  is  a  wonder  be- was  not  assassinated.  The  year  previous 
to  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  he  owned  a  fine  plantation  on 
the  Mississippi  River  twenty-five  miles  above  Vicksburg,  on 
which  he  worked  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  slaves,  who 
made,  in  the  year  1859,  nine  hundred  bales  of  cotton.  Besides 
this,  he  owned  two  fine  houses  and  lots  in  New  Orleans,  for  one 
of  which  he  was  offered  $60,000.  Altogether,  he  must  have  been 
worth  about  $400,000,  all  of  which  sprang  from  the  magic 
recesses  of  a  two-card  faro  box. 

In  the  height  of  his  prosperity  the  civil  war  swooped  down 
upon  him,  and  tore  from  his  grasp  the  large  fortune  he  had 
accumulated  by  the  most  sordid  frauds.  His  slaves  were  gone, 
but  he  still  retained  his  plantation  and  city  property,  though 
much  reduced  in  value.  Immediately  after  the  city  of  New 
Orleans  again  fell  under  civil  government,  Jones  reopened  his 
skmning-den,  taking  as  partner,  as  I  have  before  stated,  Colonel 
Bryant.  But  money  was  scarce,  and  the  wealthy  planters  and 
merchants,  who  were  wont  to  surrender  their  money  so  confid 
ingly  to  the  two-card  boxes,  were  either  dead  or  impoverished, 
and  skinning-houses  were  getting,  besides,  pretty  well  played 
out  there,  since  several  square  banks  had  obtained  an  ascendency. 
After  the  death  of  his  partner,  Jones  continued  to  keep  his 
house  open,  but  with  indifferent  success.  He  now  commenced 
playing  against  the  different  faro-banks  in  the  city,  a  thing  he 
had  not  done  since  the  beginning  of  his  successful  career,  driven 
thereto,  no  doubt,  by  ennui.  In  the  course  of  a  year,  he  lost  what 
money  he  had  and  what  money  he  could  raise  by  mortgaging 
his  city  property,  in  all  about  $70,000.  His  plantation  he  had 
made  over  to  his  wife  and  children  at  the  breaking  out  of  the 
rebellion,  fearing  that  retaining  it  in  his  own  name  would  cause 
it  to  be  confiscated.  This  his  wife  held  on  to,  or  he  would  most 
certainly  have  played  it  off  against  faro.  At  the  present  time 
he  has  no  more  money  to  buy  chips,  and  consequently  cannot 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES.  259 

pursue  his  favorite  amusement.  He  has  not  the  general  "  dernier 
resort"  of  his  stripe,  to  open  another  skiuuing-house,  for  he  is  so 
completely  played  out  that  nobody  would  patronize  his  game, 
and  he  bears  among  those  to  whom  he  is  well  known,  the 
unenviable  reputation  of  being  the  meanest  and  most  sordid 
wretch  that  ever  disgraced  the  fraternity  of  sharpers. 

HENRY    PRICE    MCGRATH. 

The  reader  will  doubtless  remember  that  this  is  the  gentleman 
who  came  to  New  York  with  Johnny  Chambejlain,  and  of  whom 
I  have  already  spoken  under  the  head  of  "  sharpers."  My  object 
in  once  more  bringing  this  "  roystering  cove"  to  the  front,  is  to 
demonstrate  to  you  that  good  behavior  and  manners,  suave 
address  and  language,  are  by  no  means  indispensable  to  the 
successful  roper. 

In  no  other  person  with  whom  I  am  acquainted  are  the  vices 
of  fraud,  avariciousness,  insolence,  jealousy,  and  cowardice, 
more  strongly  developed  than  in  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
His  entertaining  qualities  consist  in  being  a  good  eater  and 
drinker,  singing  snatches  of  blackguard  songs,  telling  stories 
decidedly  bordering  on  the  indecent,  and  chattering  learnedly 
on  the  merits  of  various  race -horses — a  subject  about  which  he 
knows  as  much  as  he  does  of  the  method  of  squaring  the  circle, 
or  the  secret  of  perpetual  motion.  It  is  a  strange  phenomenon 
that  such  an  ignorant,  uncouth,  and  unmannerly  loon,  should 
have  succeeded  through  so  many  years  in  drawing  to  his  skinning- 
house  such  numbers  of  men  of  the  highest  cultivation  and 
intelligence,  and  making  them  his  victims.  Such  has,  however, 
been  the  case,  and  he  is  one  of  the  most  successful  sharpers  that 
ever  operated  in  this  country. 

Henry  P.  HcGrath  was  born  and  raised  in  Versailles,  Kentuc 
ky.  His  parents  were  comparatively  poor,  but  managed  to  give 
their  three  sons  each  a  commonplace  education,  and  teach  them 
each  the  tailoring  trade.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reli 
giously  inclined,  and  when  between  twenty-one  and  twenty -two 
years  old  became  a  member  of  the  church.  He  soon  fell  from 
grace,  however,  and  gave  himself  up  to  a  life  of  dissipation  and 
idleness.  He  renounced  psalm  singing  and  the  tailoring  busi 
ness  simultaneously,  shook  the  dust  of  Versailles  from  his  feet, 


260  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

and  started  for  Lexington,  where  he  was  "  hale  fellow  well  met," 
with  the  worst  desperadoes  in  the  place.  He  here  took  his  first 
lesson  in  the  tortuous  ways  of  the  sharper's  career  by  capping  the 
games  of  "thimble-riggers"  and  " dice-coggers "  around  races 
and  fairs.  Having  some  ability,  he  shortly  learned  how  to  swin 
dle  at  short  cards ;  after  following  this  for  a  year  or  two,  he  be 
came  initiated  in  the  mysteries  of  a  two-card  box,  for  which  he 
was  employed  as  roper  by  some  sharpers  visiting  Lexington.  He 
now  began  to  make  some  headway  in  life.  Having  on  his  side 
many  of  those  young  desperadoes  with  which  Lexington  was 
then  disgraced,  and  with  whom  he  consorted,  he  made  his  name 
a  terror  to  all  timid  faro-bankers  who  visited  Paris,  Frankfort, 
Lexington,  and  the  different  watering  places  of  the  blue-grass 
country.  By  in  various  ways  intimidating  these,  he  forced  from 
them  a  small  interest  in  their  games  without  risking  any  money 
of  his  own.  If  they  refused  to  comply  with  his  demands  he  pre 
vented  them  in  various  ways  from  opening  their  games.  Such 
gamblers  as  he  could  not  work  on  in  this  manner  he  publicly  im 
peached  the  fairness  of  their  games,  and  as  he  made  it  a  point  to 
force  his  acquaintance  upon  all  verdant  faro-players  of  respecta 
ble  standing,  with  whom  he  had  made  himself  popular,  he  pos 
sessed  sufficient  influence  to  keep  them  from  patronizing  any 
game  which  had  fallen  under  his  displeasure ;  because  they  con 
sidered  him  "aufait"  in  all  gambling  matters.  After  commend 
ing  himself  to  the  favor  of  faro-players,  he  either  borrowed  their 
money  to  play  against  a  bank,  or  roped  them  to  the  first  itine 
rant  "  brace  "  sharper  that  came  along,  to  be  fleeced.  In  this 
manner  did  Mr.  McGrath  pave  the  way  for  his  future  greatness. 
Gamblers  coming  into  the  blue-grass  country  during  the  summer 
months,  or  the  neighboring  watering  places,  gave  him  a  share  in 
their  games  and  allowed  him  to  assist  at  them,  on  account  of  his 
popularity.  If  these  games  lost,  as  was  frequently  the  case,  he 
never  paid  back  his  portion  of  the  losses,  it  being  one  of  the 
maxims  of  Mr.  McGrath's  life,  never  to  pay  anything  he  could 
squirm  out  of. 

With  all  the  popularity  he  won  for  himself,  and  the  ready 
money  he  had  often  iu  hand,  he  met  with  no  remarkable  success 
until  the  year  1855.  In  that  year  a  splendid  skinning  establish 
ment  was  fitted  up  on  Carondolet  street,  New  Orleans,  by  three 
prominent  sharpers.  Knowing  how  popular  was  Mr.  McGrath 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES,  261 

with  the  "bloods"  in  the  blue-grass  region,  many  of  whom  visit 
ed  New  Orleans  in  the  winter,  for  either  business  or  pleasure, 
they  engaged  him  to  rope  for  the  house,  giving  him  an  equal  share 
in  the  profits  with  themselves.  Their  foresight  redounded  to  the 
filling  of  their  pockets ;  for  Mr.  McGrath  proved  to  be  the  best 
roper  in  New  Orleans,  more  especially  among  Kentuckians.  The 
first  year  the  house  made  about  $50,000,  and  every  subsequent 
one  up  to  1860  it  made  from  $60,000  to  $80,000. 

In  the  meantime  HcGrath  became  mighty  upon  the  turf.  He 
bought  a  stable  of  race  horses  (though  he  seldom  won  a  race  with 
any  of  them),  and  what  with  the  expenses  of  keeping  them,  his 
losses  on  the  turf,  combined  with  his  extravagant  style  of 
living,  he  could  barely  make  both  ends  meet,  notwithstanding 
the  immense  revenue  derived  from  his  skinning-house.  At 
the  commencement  of  the  war  he  had  nothing  but  his  share 
in  the  house,  the  property  having  been  bought  by  the  com 
pany.  I  have  already  related  his  going  to  New  Orleans  to 
prospect  for  opening  his  house  there,  during  the  war,  and  how 
he  was,  in  consequence,  captured  by  the  military  authorities, 
thrown  into  prison,  and  kept  there  over  a  year.  Also  how,  upon 
his  release,  he  accompanied  Chamberlain  to  New  York,  and  there 
opened  with  a  company  of  sharpers  the  most  magnificent  estab 
lishment  ever  seen  in  that  city.  From  this,  I  believe,  McGrath 
received  as  his  share  about  $200,000,  when  the  partnership  was 
dissolved,  and  himself  and  Chamberlain  withdrew  from  the  con 
cern.  He  invested  his  money  in  a  splendid  farm  a  short  distance 
from  Lexington,  from  whence  he  comes  every  summer  to  Long 
Branch  to  assist  Johnny  Chamberlain  in  conducting  his  magnifi 
cent  "Maison  de  Jeu,"  in  that  place,  of  which  the  reader  has  had 
already  a  full  description. 

He  still  keeps  up  his  stable  01  racers,  and  at  every  important 
race  meeting  in  the  country  some  of  them  may  be  seen.  The 
following  was  copied  from  a  public  print  dated  May  5,  1872,  and 
will  give  the  reader  an  idea  of  the  princely  manner  in  which  the 
chief  of  sharpers  entertains  his  friends  on  his  splendid  estate  in 
the  blue-grass  country : 

"McGrath,  of  beautiful  and  princely  McGrathiana,  Sun 
day  last  gave  a  dinner  to  his  many  friends  gathered  at 
Lexington  with  the  object  of  attending  the  races.  Report 
says  the  day  was  lovely  and  the  dinner  was  a  grand  sue- 


262  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

cess.  Among  the  gentlemen  who  gathered  round  the  tables 
spread  on  the  blue-grass  lawn,  under  the  stately  locust  trees 
were  Mr.  R.  Ten  Broeck,  of  Louisville ;  ex-Governor  Robinson  • 
A  Keeue  Richards,  Esq.;  General  A.  Buford;  General  John  C. 
Breckiuridge;  Major  Thomas;  General  Basil  Duke;  General 
James  F.  Robinson,  Jr. ;  General  Wm.  Preston;  Colonel  Robert 
Wooley;  Dr.  W.  G.  Chipley ;  Hon.  K.  C.  Barker,  of  Detroit ;  Cap 
tain  O.  P.  Beard;  Victor  Newcomb ;  Garnett  Marshall,  of  Louis 
ville  ;  Lieutenant  Ward ;  Mr.  Grensted  ;  and  others.  Hospitality  at 
McGrathiana  is  as  princely  as  the  estate  is  lordly ;  and  it  is  not 
necessary  to  add  that  the  distinguished  gentlemen  thoroughly 
enjoyed  themselves.  Not  to  know  McGrath  and  McGrathiana 
is  not  to  know  all  the  splendors  of  the  blue-grass  country." 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

NEW  YORK. 

Time,  that  restless  agent  of  Nature,  had  dispelled  the  frosty 
breath  of  winter,  and  brought  on  its  wings  the  balmy  airs  of  May. 
The  trees  were  clothed  in  their  vernal  mantle,  the  shrubs  with 
variegated  blossoms,  and  the  fields  and  lawns  green  with  rich 
pasturage ;  while  myriads  of  birds  of  various  notes  and  plumage 
filled  the  air  with  their  cheerful  songs.  It  had  been  a  long  ses 
sion  of  Congress ;  but  already  was  Washington  deserted  by  the 
most  of  its  strangers,  lobbyists,  and  office-seekers,  and  the  re 
mainder  were  fast  leaving  the  place,  with  its  sultry  climate  and 
swarms  of  mosquitoes,  to  its  proud,  pompous,  and  arrogant  den 
izens. 

The  Major  and  myself,  having  sold  the  furniture  and  given  up 
our  rooms,  were  making  our  final  preparations  to  leave  for  New 
York.  Our  business  during  our  winter  in  Washington  had  been 
but  an  unprofitable  one,  and  to  endeavor  to  make  up  for  lost 
time  and  money,  we  had  concluded  to  try  our  fortunes  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  by  the  advice  and  under  the  patronage  of  one 
Mr.  Phil.  McGovern.  This  gentleman  had,  during  the  past 
winter,  made  several  visits  to  Washington,  from  the  city  of  New 
York,  where  he  resided.  He  kept  a  coffee-house  in  Chatham  street, 


NEW  YORK.  263 

and  also  belonged  to  the  noble  army  of  New  York  ward  politi 
cians.  While  in  Washington,  Mr.  McGovern  had  honored  us  by 
making  our  faro-rooms  his  loafing  place.  He  gambled  but 
slightly,  but  drank  deep.  He  was,  as  his  name  indicated,  a  native 
of  the  "  giin  of  the  say,"  and  a  big  one  too,  as  witness  a  frame 
six  feet  two,  and  proportionably  stout.  He  wore  on  the  front  of 
his  head  a  large  jovial  red  face,  guiltless  of  beard,  whiskers  or 
mustache,  while  his  poll  was  adorned  with  a  shaggy  crop  of  flam 
ing  red  hair.  He  might  have  passed  for  a  man  of  forty,  but  had 
seen  more  years ;  he  dressed  a  la  mode,  and  at  first  sight  looked 
a  dignified  personage  enough.  Regarding  the  disposition  and 
manners  of  this  worthy,  the  reader  will  have  ample  scope  for 
judging  as  we  progress  in  our  narrative.  The  Major  was  be 
witched  by  the  oily  tongue  of  our  new  friend,  and,  after  a  short 
acquaintance,  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  he  was  one  of  the 
most  noble  and  generous-hearted  Irishmen  with  whom  he  had 
ever  come  in  contact — something  new  for  the  Major,  who,  as  a 
general  thing,  was  by  no  means  fond  of  the  Celtic  tribe.  On  the 
other  hand,  Mr.  McGovern  swore  that  the  Major  was  a  "thrue 
Varginny  gintleman  o'  the  rale  ould  shtock,  and  a  credit  to  the 
Shtate  that  raised  'im,  by  the  powers."  My  suspicious  nature 
was  in  nowise  aroused  by  the  sudden  intimacy  which  sprung  up 
between  the  pair.  Mr.  McGovern  did  not  seem  much  in  the  gam 
bling  mood,  and  I  could  not  discern  in  what  other  way  he  could 
carry  out  designs  upon  the  Major's  pocket,  supposing  him  to 
have  them.  They  both  loved  their  talk  and  their  toddies,  and 
the  society  of  each  seemed  nearly  indispensable  to  the  other. 

Mr.  McGovern  informed  the  Major  that  his  frequent  visits  to 
Washington  during  the  winter  were  caused  by  his  great  anxiety 
to  advance  the  welfare  of  his  political  friends,  who  he  was  de 
sirous  should  receive  a  share  of  the  federal  patronage  of  New 
York  city.  "Damn  a  man  won't  shtand  by  his  friends,  Major; 
that's  me  motto,  me  boy." 

How  far  Mr.  McGovern  succeeded  on  behalf  of  his  friends,  or 
whether  he  ever  had  such  a  benevolent  project  in  view,  I  never 
troubled  myself  to  ascertain.  The  subject  gave  me  no  uneasiness ; 
but  what  interested  me  much  more,  was  the  pains  that  worthy 
gentleman  was  always  taking  to  convince  the  Major  he  was  on 
the  wrong  road  to  fortune. 

"  It's  a  shame  and  a  disgrace,  so  it  is,  that  such  a  fine  gintleman 


264  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

as  yourself  should  be  spindin'  his  days  in  such  a  dirty  place  as 
Washington,  when  it's  in  New  York  ye'll  get  as  many  faro-players 
as  ye  want,  and  be  the  same  token,  live  like  a  lord.  Lave  this 
dirty  place,  Major,  and  come  with  me  beyaut  there  to  New  York. 
The  divel  a  good  ye'll  do  here  at  all !  Come  to  New  York  wid  rne ; 
faith,  ye'll  uiver  regret  it  while  ye've  Phil.  McGovern  at  yer 
back.  Take  me  word  fur't,  ye'll  do  well  there."  To  these  con 
tinual  and  pressing  invitations  the  Major  yielded,  and  started  for 
the  city,  taking  with  him  your  humble  servant. 

Within  a  week  after  our  arrival  in  the  great  metropolis,  Mr. 
McGovern  secured  for  us  a  commodious  room  on  the  Bowery, 
which  he  caused  to  be  plastered,  cleaned,  and  papered,  supplied 
with  a  faro-table,  a  poker-table,  a  couple  of  dozen  of  chairs,  a 
side-board,  a  writing  desk,  lamps,  and  other  requisite  small 
articles,  all  of  which  were  of  the  most  ordinary  description.  When 
it  was  ready  for  us  to  enter,  Mr.  McGovern,  who  had  attended 
to  the  fitting  up  of  the  place,  presented  us  with  a  bill  of  $514, 
which  the  Major  paid  to  him  on  the  spot.  Having  received  the 
money,  he  conveyed  it  to  his  pocket,  and  proceeded  to  address 
us  in  the  following  strain : 

"  Now,  gintlemen,  we'll  all  three  be  aqually  interested  in  the 
good  or  bad  of  this  room ;  but  mind  ye's,  I  wouldn't  for  the  wor- 
ruld  have  it  known  I  was  yer  pardners.  Begorra,  if  that  was  to 
lake  out,  sure  it  'ud  be  the  ruin  o'  me  intirely,  so  we'll  kape  that 
to  ourselves,  whatever  comes  amiss." 

"  On  that  score  you  need  be  under  no  uneasiness,"  answered 
the  Major,  in  a  dignified  tone. 

"  Troth,  I  belave  ye's !  or  I'd  have  nothing  to  do  wid  ye's !  so 
that  matther's  done  for,  now  for  the  nixt.  To-night  I'll  bring 
me  friends  and  introduce  'em  to  ye's,  so  ye's  can  see  what  they 
are.  Begorra,  ye'll  find  'ern  gintlemen  anyhow,  an'  with  fists  full 
of  money,  divil  a  lie  in  it !  An'  they'll  bet  at  ye's  hot  and  heavy, 
take  my  word  for  it,  Major,  an'  bate  ye's  too  if  ye'll  let  'em, 
begorra !  Howld  a  bit !  Howld  a  bit !  Sure  we  mustn't  do  the 
thing  shabbily  at  all,  at  all.  I'll  sind  up  two  or  three  baskets  o' 
champagne  to  thrate  the  b'ys !  Sure  it  '11  look  dacent  on  the 
openin'  night." 

"  I  was  on  the  point  of  suggesting  something  of  the  kind  my 
self,"  said  the  Major. 

McGovern  addressed  his  conversation  exclusively  to  the  Major, 


NEW  YORK.  265 

and  never  by  word  or  look  acknowledged  my  presence.  It  is 
true  he  used  the  plural  "ye's,"  and  opened  business  by  saying, 
"We'll  all  be  aqually  interested,"  etc.;  but  otherwise  had  paid 
me  no  more  attention  than  if  I  were  one  of  the  chairs  or  tables. 

The  Major  listened  with  profound  attention  to  his  remarks  and 
acknowledged  the  wisdom  of  his  suggestions  and  instructions, 
by  sundry  nods  and  remarks  of  "  Very  good,  sir, "  and  concluded 
by  saying,  "  We  shall  endeavor  to  obey  your  instructions,  sir,  as 
you  are  undoubtedly  the  best  judge  of  the  manner  in  which  your 
town's-people  should  be  treated." 

"Lave  me  alone  for  that,  Major,  me  b'y.  Sure  I  know  ivery 
mother's  son  o'  them,  an'  can  do  as  I  plaze  wid  'em." 

"  How  much  bank  money  shall  we  require,  Mr.  Me  Govern?"  I 
inquired,  for  the  first  time  putting  in  my  oar  into  the  conversa 
tion. 

"  That  '11  be  a  schmall  affair.  Three  or  four  thousand  or  the 
likes  o'  that  '11  be  lashins,"  he  replied. 

"  Very  good  !  And  as  we  are  going  to  open  the  bank  to-night, 
let  us  make  up  our  banking  money  now,"  I  answered. 

"  Go  on  wid  the  money  ye  have  wid  ye's,  an'  whin  ye's  nade 
more,  ye'll  find  the  check  o'  Phil  McGovern  as  good  at  the 
Bank  of  America  for  $5,000  as  ould  Asthor's ! " 

"That's  all  right,  Mr.  McGovern,"  said  the  Major,  darting 
a  savage  look  at  me;  then  bowing  to  McGovern,  he  said, 
"  Sufficient,  sir,  among  gentlemen." 

"Faith,  none  knows  the  likes  o'  them  better  nor  yoursel, 
Major,  an'  that  the'  dirthy  subject  o'  money  shouldn't  be 
mintioned  betwixt  and  betwane  'em,  till  the  article's  naded,  any  • 
how.  So  now  I'll  lave  ye's  an'  order  the  wine,  an'  in  the  avenin' 
I'll  bring  up  me  frinds  to  drink  it,"  and  bowing  to  the  Major, 
he  left  the  room  with  a  lofty  stride. 

When  he  had  left  I  paced  up  and  down  the  room  for  some 
time,  meditating  on  the  sublime  heights  to  which  human  im 
pudence  may  rise.  At  last  I  suddenly  stopped  in  my  exercise 
before  the  Major,  and  addressed  him  with,  "Major,  this  seems 
to  me  to  be  a  very  loose  way  of  transacting  business,  sir.  We 
don't  know  what  kind  of  a  game  we  may  have  to  deal,  nor  how 
much  money  it  will  require  to  bank  it,  or  if  it  should  lose,  whether 
Mr.  McGovern  will  pay  his  share  of  the  losses." 

"Jack,  you're  always  finding  bears  and  lions  hi  the  way. 


266  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

You're  too  suspicious  to  deal  with  gentlemen,  sir.  Mr.  McGovern 
is  a  gentleman,  sir,  and  of  the  highest  standing  in  this  city,  and 
were  he  inclined  to  commit  a  dishonorable  action,  sir,  towards  us 
here,  he  could  not  afford  to  do  so.  We  need  his  assistance  to 
procure  customers,  and  also  to  protect  our  game,  and  'twould  be 
impossible  for  us  to  get  on  without  him.  But  to  relieve  your 
anxiety,  I'll  hold  myself  responsible  for  his  share  of  the  bank 
money,  sir;  will  that  be  satisfactory?"  demanded  the  Major, 
with  some  asperity. 

"  Certainly,  Major,  but — " 

"Very  good,  sir !  Now,  sir,  as  we  are  in  a  strange  place  and 
among  strange  people,  let's  try  and  get  along  as  smoothly  as 
possible,  sir,"  he  said,  peevishly. 

"  You  can't  go  very  far  amiss  in  keeping  a  strict  watch  upon 
strangers  with  whom  you  are  concerned  in  money  transactions, 
and  when  I  ventured  to  express  a  doubt  of  Mr.  McGovern,  'twas 
as  much  for  your  protection  as  for  mine." 

"  I  have  arrived  at  that  age,  sir,  which  needs  no  protection 
from  others,"  stiffly  replied  the  Major. 

"  I  must  beg  leave  to  differ  with  you  there,  Major,  for  you  are 
ready  to  place  confidence  in  every  scheming  villain  who  talks  in 
a  highfalutin  strain  about  the  things  that  are  proper  between 
gentlemen,  and  flatters  your  vanity  to  get  an  opportunity  to  pick 
your  pocket.  I  should  have  thought  the  Simpson  affair  would 
nave  made  you  more  cautious;  but  you  seem  to  be  just  as  ready 
to  be  cajoled  as  ever.  What  do  you  know  about  McGovern's 
honesty?  Why  should  you  be  so  ready  to  take  his  word  on  so 
short  an  acquaintance  ?  This  is  a  matter  of  business,  not  cour 
tesy,  and  the  way  for  him  to  show  his  honesty  of  purpose  is  to 
come  up  with  his  money,  and  not  blarney  about  it." 

"  Keep  cool,  Jack  !  Don't  fly  off  at  the  handle,  my  boy;  I'll 
be  responsible  for  McGovern,  and  you  shan't  be  in  any  way  a 
loser  by  him." 

"  Yes,  Major,  but  I  don't  want  you  to  be  a  loser  by  him,  either, 
and  it's  my  opinion  he's  beat  us  both,  already.  Look  around 
this  room — what  is  there  to  show  for  five  hundred  and  odd  dol 
lars  here?  Why,  I  don't  believe  he's  spent  three  hundred  dol 
lars  altogether,  sir !  I  tell  you,  Major,  this  man  has  chiseled 
ns  already,  and  he  means  to  do  it  again;  and  he  will,  too,  if  we 
don't  take  him  to  task  pretty  sharply.  His  big  talk  about  his 


NEW  YORK.  267 

five  thousand  dollar  check  is  all  'popycock.'  Why  don't  he  show 
up  his  money  ?  This  is  no  way  to  do  business." 

"Well,  well!"  exclaimed  the  Major,  testily;  " let's  see  first 
what  our  prospects  are,  before  we  commence  quarreling  with 
McGovern.  I'd  stake  my  life  he's  an  honest  man,  and  means 
well  by  us.  Should  he  prove  otherwise,  I'll  take  the  loss  on  my 
shoulders." 

"  Then  you  intend  to  let  him  go  ahead  his  own  way  ?" 

"  Most  certainly,  sir!  Do  you  want  me  to  dictate  to  him  what 
he  shall  do,  in  his  own  home,  and  among  his  own  people?" 

Finding  that  the  Major  was  already  somewhat  angry  with  me 
for  my  perseverance,  and  seeing  the  futility  of  further  discussion, 
I  dropped  the  subject. 

Mr.  McGovern,  true  to  his  promise,  made  his  appearance  in 
our  rooms,  in  the  evening,  in  company  with  twenty  or  more 
individuals,  whom  he  characterized  as  the  b'h'ys;  and  a  motley 
crowd  they  were.  Nearly  all  were  respectably  dressed,  and 
some  stylishly.  Many  carried  in  their  hands  gold-headed  canes, 
while  gold  and  gems  adorned  the  fronts  of  their  shirts  and 
glittered  on  their  stumpy  fingers;  and  every  face,  though  some 
were  by  no  means  ill-looking,  bore  the  stamp  of  dissipation  and 
debauchery.  Their  fine  raiment,  and  the  gems  and  jewels  which 
they  wore,  could  not  conceal  a  certain  air  of  coarseness  and 
roystering  rowdyism  which  hung  about  them. 

Mr.  McGovern  presented  his  "fri'nds,"  one  after  another,  to 
the  Major,  and  each  having  shaken  him  by  the  hand,  in  the 
most  energetic  pump-handle  fashion,  he,  prefacing  his  remarks 
with  a  stentorian  "whist,"  and  thereby  bespeaking  silence, 
proceeded  to  deliver  himself  of  the  following  speech: 

"Gintlemen!  Major  George  Jenks  is  one  of  the  rale  ould 
Varginny  stock;  a  thrue  gintlemau,  ivery  inch  ov  'im.  You  can 
take  me  wurrud  for  it.  He's  a  sthranger  among  ye's,  'an  ye'll 
thrate  'im  kindly,  for  its  desarvin  he  is  of  it,  if  he  is  a  gambler! 
He's  come  to  dale  faro  to  ye's,  an'  be  the  same  token,  he's 
brought  lashins  o'  money  wid  him,  an'  he'll  hand  it  over  to  ye's 
like  a  man  if  yer  able  to  win  it." 

This  address  received  several  interruptions  during  its  delivery, 
several  of  the  audience  calling  out,  "Spin  yer  string  short, 
Govey!"  "0  gas!"  "Dry  up  and  bust!"  "Shy  yer  castor  and 
let's  drink,"  with  many  more  elegant  phrases  in  common  use 


268  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

among  this  refined  crowd.  When  the  speech  was  concluded,  a 
gentleman  at  the  rear  of  the  crowd,  who  had  not  opened  his 
mouth  since  entering  the  room,  remarked  solemnly: 

"  S'pose  the  by's  kin  tell  a  blood  whin  they  sees  'em  widout 
all  that  palaver.  Faith,  ye's  know  a  gintleman  as  will  as  the 
best  o'  them,  but  the  divil  a  harrum  in  knowin'  what  fashion  o' 
gentleman  yer  interduced  to." 

"Blarney!"  "Too  much  chaff!"  "Cheese  it!"  "Stash  it, 
Govey,  ole  boy,  an'  let's  try  the  Major's  champagne,"  roared 
half  a  dozen  at  once. 

"Yaas,  Govey,  stash  it,  ole  boss,  yer  too  long-winded," 
drawled  a  gentleman  of  the  "Mose"  order,  who  was  standing 
immediately  opposite  Mr.  McGovern,  and  who,  to  give  point  to 
his  remark,  favored  that  gentleman  with  such  a  punch  in  the 
ribs  as  brought  the  water  to  his  eyes  and  sent  him  reeling  to  the 
opposite  side  of  the  room.  This  scientific  feat  was  received  with 
laughter  front  all  sides,  and  Mr.  McGovern,  seeing  no  more  op 
portunity  for  speechifying,  hid  his  chagrin  in  the  popping  of  the 
champagne  corks.  General  hilarity  prevailed.  Two  dozen  of 
wine  were  uncorked,  and  the  Major's  health,  extension  of  longev 
ity,  and  success,  drank  in  bumpers  with  vociferous  cheering, 
to  which  that  gentleman  responded  in  a  short,  but  good-natured 
speech. 

Mr.  McGovern  had  meanwhile  planted  himself  in  front  of  the 
faro-table,  and  demanded  $200  worth  of  checks,  which  I  sup 
plied  to  him,  but  for  which  he  offered  me  no  money.  Several 
other  persons  now  came  up  to  the  table,  bought  chips,  and  I 
soon  had  a  lively  play.  As  no  arrangement  had  been  made 
relative  to  the  limit  of  the  game,  I  took  it  upon  myself  to  fix  it 
at  $25  and  $100,  when  one  of  our  players  desired  to  make  a  bet 
on  a  card,  of  $200.  Some  twelve  men  were  about  the  table,  and 
several  had  shown  large  rolls  of  bank  bills,  and  were  betting 
heavily  against  the  game.  The  chances  were  favorable  for  us 
to  win  or  lose  a  considerable  sum  of  money,  and  the  conduct  of 
the  players  was  admirable.  Not  so,  however,  with  the  other 
portion  of  the  company.  After  hoisting  in  a  large  quantity  of 
champagne,  and  brandy  to  top  off  with,  they  had  gathered  about 
the  poker  table.  For  a  short  time  they  behaved  with  propriety, 
but  the  liquor  they  had  drank  having  had  time  to  loosen  their 
tongues,  they  became  pretty  noisy.  They  discussed  in  loud 


NEW  TORE.  269 

tones  the  merits  of  different  ward  politicians,  fire  engine  com-' 
panics,  prize  fighters,  and  many  kindred  subjects,  talking  all 
at  once,  and  using  more  profane  language  and  slang  than  is 
generally  to  be  heard  in  assemblies  of  gentlemen.  Occasionally, 
when  the  uproar  waxed  deafening,  McGovern  would  turn  around 
in  his  chair,  and  cry  out,  "  Whist,  ye  divils,  ye're  not  at  a  pri 
mary  meeting."  After  such  a  remonstrance,  comparative  quiet 
would  reign  for  a  few  moments,  when  the  babel  of  tongues  would 
recommence.  Finally,  amid  their  rude  wit  and  chaffering,  two 
of  the  party  had  got  into  angry  dispute  relative  to  their  respect 
ive  fire-engine  companies,  which  resulted  in  one  of  the  parties 
calling  the  other  a  liar,  and  a  square  knock-down  was  the  con 
sequence.  The  game  had  dealt  up  to  this  time  with  more  than 
usual  good  luck,  and  was  nearly  $3000  winner,  besides  $400 
which  McGovern  owed  the  bank.  As  there  seemed  plenty  of 
money  around  the  bank,  the  chances  were  for  us  to  make  a 
good  winning,  but  our  prospects  were  not  realized.  The  moment 
that  little  pleasantry  took  place  between  the  two  worthies  at  the 
poker  table,  the  whole  party  jumped  to  their  feet,  and  a  deafen 
ing  shout  arose  of  "A  ring!  a  ring!  fair  play!  fair  play!"  My 
players  also  hastened  to  the  vicinity  of  the  combatants  j  some 
had  their  checks  cashed,  while  others  crammed  theirs  hastily 
into  their  pockets.  With  scant  ceremony,  the  faro-table  and  all 
other  furniture  was  pushed  back  or  piled  one  upon  the  other,  to 
give  the  combatants  a  clear  field,  after  which  they  were  placed 
in  a  position  facing  each  other,  stripped  to  the  buff,  and  duly 
seconded  according  to  the  established  rules  of  the  P.  K.  Mr. 
Phil.  McGovern  was  chosen  referee,  an  office  which  he  accepted 
with  joyful  alacrity,  to  the  immense  astonishment  and  disgust  of 
the  Major. 

"  Fifty  dollars  on  Jakey  Grier,"  sung  out  a  bystander.  The 
bet  was  immediately  taken,  several  others  were  offered  and 
taken  the  moment  they  passed  the  lips  of  those  making  them. 
"  Jakey  Grier"  had  the  "call"  over  his  opponent,  Jimmy  Riley. 
Whether  it  was  owing  to  the  fact  that  he  had  knocked  down 
Jimmy,  or  his  previous  exploits  in  the  manly  art,  that  had  given 
his  backers  such  confidence  in  his  mettle,  I  am  unable,  unfortu 
nately,  to  inform  my  reader,  but  certain  it  is,  that  as  the  "mill" 
was  about  to  commence,  the  odds  were  $50  to  $40  on  Jakey,  and 
no  takers.  I  suppose,  altogether,  about  $600  was  wagered  upon 


270'  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

the  issue  of  the  fight.  The  combatants  pummeled  each  other 
for  something  like  fifteen  minutes,  when  the  "mill"  was  brought 
to  a  close  by  Jimmy  Riley  delivering  an  upper  cut  with  his  left, 
which  landed  underneath  the  ear  of  Jakey,  knocking  that  gen 
tleman  completely  out  of  time.  The  combat  being  thus  closed, 
the  spectators  liquored  up  all  round,  and  a  double  portion  being 
imbibed  by  the  combatants.  Jakey,  entirely  "hors  du  combat," 
was  assisted  to  his  domicile,  while  the  victorious  Jimmy,  with 
two  teeth  knocked  out  and  one  eye  in  mourning,  not  to  mention 
the  general  appearance  of  his  "mug,"  was  congratulated  by  his 
numerous  friends. 

Mr.  McGovern  and  some  of  his  party  now  returned  the  differ 
ent  articles  of  furniture  to  their  places,  and  a  general  demand 
was  made  that  the  faro-bank  should  be  reopened.  But  the 
Major  positively  declined  to  comply  with  the  request,  alleging  as 
his  reason,  that  he  was  afraid  the  police  would  force  an  entrance 
into  the  house.  "Force  hell!"  roared  a  brawny  son  of  the  Emer 
ald  Isle,  holding  up  a  fist  which  looked  as  if  it  might  have  felled 
an  ox.  "It's  myself  'ud  like  to  see  one  o'  the  dirty  sons  o' 
bitches  poke  his  mug  in  at  that  dure  till  I'd  mash  it  for  'im." 

But  neither  threats  nor  entreaties — and  both  were  unsparingly 
used — would  induce  the  Major  to  reopen  his  game. 

"This  is  a  d — n  nice  hole  you've  roped  us  inter,  Gov.,"  said 
one  of  that  gentleman's  friends;  "these  ere  fellers  are  'fraid  o' 
their  shadder." 

"The  perlice,  is  it?"  said  another,  "Be  Ja — s,  it's  the  likes  o' 
them  I'll  kape  clear  o'  the  likes  of  us;  it's  themselves  knows 
we'd  put  a  head  on  ivery  mother's  son  ov  'em  if  they  interfare  wid 
the  divarshins  o'  gentlemen." 

"Ye's  must  excuse  me  friends;  sure,  they're  not  used  to  the 
b'ys  yet,"  said  McGovern,  apologetically. 

"That  ain't  it!  They've  took  in  a  few  hundred  dollars,  and 
that  '11  last  'em  till  they  die,"  cried  another  worthy. 

"Let  'em  go  to  h — 1  if  they  don't  open  their  game,"  said  a 
gentleman  in  the  crowd;  " there's  plenty  o' games  in  town  be 
sides  this.  Come  down  to  Jimmy  Daley's,  he'll  give  ye  farrer  till 
yer  belly  aches." 

This  elegant  sentiment  being  received  with  great  approbation, 
the  originator  started  for  the  door,  and  probably  ultimately  for 
the  domicile  of  the  accommodating  Mr.  Daley.  He  was  accom- 


NEW  YOKE.  271 

panied  by  two  or  three  comrades,  while  the  remainder  soon 
followed  suit,  arid  stood  not  upon  the  order  of  their  going  by  any 
means. 

"Well,  Major!  How  do  you  like  our  game?"  I  inquired,  soon 
after  our  guests  had  departed. 

"The  money  I  saw  I  liked  well  enough,  sir ;  but  a  more  dis 
graceful  set  of  ruffians  than  our  players  to-night,  I  have  never 
had  the  luck  to  meet." 

"Mr.  McGovern  owes  the  bank  $400;  did  his  play  count,  or 
not?" 

"Unquestionably  it  did,  sir!  Always  does  in  such  cases,  un 
less  an  express  understanding  is  had  previously." 

"Should  he  refuse  to  acknowledge  his  play  as  a  genuine  one, 
are  you  willing  to  pay  me  one-third  of  what  he  owes  the  bank  ?  " 
I  coolly  inquired. 

"Pay  you  one  third  of  what  he  owes  the  bank  ?"  repeated  the 
Major,  his  face  flushed  with  anger,  aroused  by  my  question. 
"No,  sir!  I  told  you  I'd  be  responsible  for  his  share  of  the  bank 
ing  money." 

"  Oh !  Very  well,  Major,  I  shall  speak  to  Mr.  McGoveru  about 
the  matter  to-morrow,"  I  replied,  coolly. 

"  Speak  to  him  about  what  ? "  demanded  the  Major,  excitedly. 

"  Why,  about  his  play,  to  be  sure,"  I  rejoined.  "  He  now  owes 
the  bank  $400.  Should  we  to-morrow  ask  him  for  this,  he  might 
say  he  was  only  capping  the  game  in  order  to  induce  his  friends 
to  play.  But  should  we  allow  it  to  pass  on  without  any  under 
standing  about  the  matter,  he  might,  to-morrow  night,  or  any 
night,  win  two  or  more  thousands,  and  put  it  in  his  pocket.  That 
would,  no  doubt,  be  very  good  for  McGovern,  but  it  wouldn't 
exactly  suit  me,  Major,  and  I  doubt  if  it  would  you,  sir." 

"You  mustn't  act  in  this  manner,  Jack.  Wait  until  they 
show  some  evidence  of  guilt,  before  you  commence  convicting 
people  in  this  way." 

"  There's  nothing  like  being  on  the  safe  side,  Major." 

"  No,  no,  Jack ;  whenever  you  enter  into  a  business  with  a 
gentleman,  do  not  insult  him  by  showing,  -either  by  word  or 
deed,  that  you .  doubt  his  honesty  of  purpose ;  and  in  this  case 
it  is  especially  for  our  interest  to  keep  on  the  best  of  terms  with 
McGovern.  Without  his  protection,  how  in  the  world  are  we. 
going  to  manage  these  brutes?  To  lose  his  friendship,  Jack, 
would  be  to  have  our  game  broken  up." 


272  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

"I  am  desirous  of  continuing  the  game,  sir,  because  I  see 
money  in  it;  but  I  don't  care  to  have  Mr.  McGovern  get  any  the 
best  of  me ;  and  the  surest  way  to  prevent  a  misunderstanding, 
is  to  ask  him  to-morrow  whether  his  play  must  count  or  not. 
He  owes  $400,  therefore  he  cannot  be  angry  at  a  plain  question 
upon  the  subject.  If  he  says  his  play  does  not  count,  we  are  but 
slightly  the  losers,  and  know  what  we  are  doing." 

"We  mustn't  say  anything  to  him,"  he  replied,  doggedly. 
"We  have  already  displeased  him  by  closing  our  game  to  night, 
and  refusing  to  reopen  it.  I  am  sorry  I  did  so.  Just  let  me 
manage  this  matter,  Jack,  will  you  f  It  will  be  all  right  in  the 
end." 

I  saw  it  was  quite  useless  trying  to  bring  him  to  my  way  of 
thinking,  consequently  dropped  the  subject  and  proposed  that 
we  should  retire  for  the  night. 

Mr.  McGovern  called  at  our  rooms  on  the  following  morning, 
and  reprimanded  the  Major  for  closing  his  game  on  the  evening 
before,  against  the  wishes  of  his  friends.  "Bad  luck  to  me  if  I 
wouldn't  rather  lost  a  thousand  dollars  than  had  ye's  done  it. 
Begorra,  if  that's  the  game  ye're  goin'  to  play,  ye'd  betther  lave 
this  city.  The  b'ys  '11  not  be  standin'  it,  at  all,  at  all ;  an'  if  they 
iver  come  here  again,  it's  meself  ye'll  have  to  thank  for  it! 
Didn't  they  swear  by  this  and  by  that,  they'd  niver  set  fut  inside 
yer  dures  agin  ?  " 

"Is  it  expected  that  we  shall  close  our  game  whenever  they 
want  a  ring  fight  in  the  room,  and  open  it  again  when  it  is  their 
pleasure  to  demand  it?"  I  laughingly  inquired. 

"What  the  divil  is  it  to  you  what  they  want?  It's  to  win 
their  money  ye's  are  here,  ain't  it?  Do  ye's  want  to  reform 
their  morals,  too  ?  "  he  inquired,  angrily. 

"But,  my  friend,"  politely  remonstrated  the  Major,  "a  faro- 
room  is  no  place  for  a  ring  fight.  I  never  witnessed  so  disgraceful 
a  scene  before,  and  I've  been  in  the  profession  thirty  years." 

"  Thin  it's  time,  Major,  ye  were  acquainted  with  the  fashions 
of  New  York,  if  ye's  mane  to  sthay  in  it.  Take  me  wurrud  for 
that.  An'  more  be  token,  if  it  wasn't  gintlemin  ye's  had  wid  ye's 
last  night,  it's  out  o'  the  windy  yersels  and  yer  faro  tools  would 
a  gone,  by  the  howly  St.  Patrick,  when  ye's  refused  to  open 
yer  dirty  game  to  the  first  gintlemen  in  New  York  ! " 

"  This  must  be  a  rough  country  on  faro  dealers,"  said  the 
Major,  laughing. 


NEW  YORK.  273 

"  The  divil  a  betther  set  o'  b'ys  in  the  worruld,  but  they  won't 
stand  any  hurubuggiu',  mind  that  now,  Major." 

"Well,  sir,  I  shall  endeavor  to  please  your  friends  in  future, 
Mr.  McGovern,"  said  the  Major.  "  Tell  your  friends  that  I  was 
afraid  of  the  police  arresting  us,  or  I  should  have  opened  the 
game  when  they  requested  me  to  do  so." 

"Don't  let  the  perlace  trouble  yer  head.  It's  too  wise  the 
blaggards  are,  to  interfere  wid  thim  b'ys  whin  they're  out  on  a 
lark.  But  I'll  lave  ye's  now,  an'  see  what  I  can  do  for  ye's  this 
avenin'."  And  away  he  went. 

Early  in  the  evening,  three  respectable  looking  men  dropped 
in,  and  commenced  playing;  and  later,  McGovern  came  with 
four  companions,  but  one  of  whom  had  been  in  our  rooms  on 
the  previous  evening.  Our  game  became  lively,  and  lasted 
till  morning,  without  a  "muss"  of  any  kind  having  taken  place. 
Again  McGovern  demanded  checks  from  the  bank,  which  I 
furnished,  and  he  again  neglected  to  pay  for.  As  he  played 
comparatively  small,  and  there  was  a  debt  of  $400  hanging  over 
him,  the  circumstance  gave  me  little  or  no  uneasiness.  When 
the  bank  closed,  he  was  loser  $280,  and  as  he  rose  from  his  chair 
he  turned  towards  the  Major,  and  said,  "  I'll  hand  ye's  that 
money  in  the  mornin',  Major."  The  latter  responded  by  a  nod. 
But  the  money  was  not  forthcoming  as  promised,  which  led  me 
to  believe  that  McGoveru  had  no  idea  of  his  play  counting,  and 
did  not  intend  taking  any  unfair  advantage  of  us  in  that  way. 
As  the  Major  was  determined  not  to  ask  him  whether  his  play 
counted  or  not,  or,  in  other  words,  was  afraid  to  ask  him,  and 
opposed  my  doing  so  in  such  a  bitter  manner,  I  made  up  my 
mind  not  to  say  any  more  to  him  on  the  subject  nor  to  mention 
it  to  McGovern  so  long  as  he  continued  to  lose,  but  to  permit 
him  to  go  ahead  until  the  end  of  the  month.  But  I  had  also 
made  up  my  mind,  that,  in  case  he  played  himself  even  with  the 
bank,  I  would  come  to  an  explanation  with  him,  even  if  I  was 
obliged  to  call  him  away  from  the  faro-table  to  do  so. 

Our  play  gradually  increased,  until  we  had  nightly  a  full  table 
of  betters.  Disputes  would  frequently  arise  relative  to  the  own 
ership  of  bets,  which  often  resulted  in  damaged  eyes  and  noses 
and  the  smashing  of  heads.  These  delectable  amusements  would 
frequently  end  in  a  ring  fight,  similar  to  that  which  we  had  en 
joyed  on  our  opening  night.  We  got  thoroughly  used  to  this  sort 


274  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

of  amusements,  and  when  the  combatants  had  punished  each 
other  to  their  satisfaction,  we  resumed  our  game.  On  three  oc 
casions  small  scrimmages  having  led  to  a  general  engagement, 
while  the  battle  was  raging  hottest  the  Major  and  myself  seized 
our  faro-tools  and  money,  and  fled  from  the  field  of  action,  and 
did  not  return  until  the  following  day.  Those  who  had  checks 
when  the  row  began  kept  them  until  we  opened  our  bank  on  the 
following  evening.  Three  times  during  the  month  was  the  service 
of  a  carpenter  called  into  requisition,  to  repair  damages  caused 
by  these  little  eccentricities  of  our  customers.  They  broke  our 
windows  and  doors,  and  smashed  our  chairs  and  tables.  During 
the  month,  we  were  obliged  to  buy  two  extra  dozens  of  chairs, 
and  have  a  new  faro-table  made. 

During  these  rows  we  were  entirely  free  from  police  interfer 
ence,  and  every  disturbance  was  settled  by  science  and  muscle. 
When  McGovern  was  present,  he  exerted  his  utmost  influence  to 
prevent  these  trials  by  battle,  or  angry  altercations  leading  to 
free-fights;  but  when  the  first  blow  had  been  struck  he  was  as 
much  interested  as  the  combatants  themselves.  One  night  a 
powerfully-built  gentleman,  having  lost  some  sixty  dollars 
against  the  bank,  conceived  the  idea  that  he  had  been  cheated, 
and,  by  way  of  reprisal,  made  a  dive  for  the  card-box  in  order  to 
get  his  money  back.  He  would  have  done  so,  and  considerably 
more  with  it  possibly,  had  not  the  Major,  who  was  in  the  look 
out  chair,  hung  on  to  the  card-box  like  grim  death.  Finding  he 
could  not  wrest  it  from  his  hands,  he  struck  him  a  stunning  blow 
on  the  head  with  his  fist,  which  knocked  the  poor  Major  sprawl 
ing  on  the  floor,  and  dragged  after  him  the  card-box  containing 
the  money,  which  he  held  still  in  his  hands.  The  ruffian  was 
prevented  from  doing  him  any  further  mischief,  by  a  blow  from 
the  dealing-box  in  my  hands,  which  forced  him  to  loosen  his  hold. 
At  the  same  moment  he  was  struck  from  behind  with  a  chair,  in 
the  hands  of  one  of  our  players.  Several  persons  now  began  to 
kick  him  about  the  head  and  ribs ;  but,  in  spite  of  these  solici 
tous  attentions,  he  regained  his  feet,  and  struck  out  for  his  assail 
ants.  His  brawny  fist  felled  whoever  it  came  in  contact  with, 
and  several  of  his  adversaries  drew  off  rather  suddenly  to  repair 
damages.  But  they  increased  faster  than  he  could  disable  them, 
and  as  one  after  another  joined  in  the  melee,  a  storm  of  chairs 
was  rained  on  his  devoted  head,  and  finally  stretched  him  out 


NEW  YORK.  275 

senseless.  While  in  this  situation  he  was  kicked  and  thumped, 
and  at  last  dragged  down  stairs,  and  thrown  into  the  street  in  an 
almost  denuded  condition.  For  several  moments  he  lay  there  as 
he  had  been  thrown,  and  when  he  recovered  his  consciousness 
the  first  thing  he  asked  for  was  some  whiskey.  Having  swal 
lowed  it  at  a  draught,  he  then  stared  around  him  to  collect  his 
scattered  senses.  At  last,  as  he  looked  up  to  the  building,  his 
eyes  fell  on  the  lighted  windows  of  our  room.  The  sight  seemed 
to  recall  to  his  memory  the  late  stirring  event,  in  which  he  had 
been  an  important  actor.  He  shook  his  clenched  fist  at  our  win 
dows,  and  muttered  between  his  clenched  teeth,  "If  I'd  a  had  a 
fair  show,  them  'uns  couldn't  a  whipt  one  side  o'  me."  He  then 
got  once  more  upon  his  pins,  and  quietly  toddled  off. 

Our  faro-table  had  been  broken,  and  many  of  our  chairs  smash 
ed,  in  this  fracas,  so  we  concluded  to  close  for  the  night,  in  order 
to  repair  damages,  and  not  to  reopen  until  the  following  evening. 
The  Major's  wounds  did  not  prove  to  be  so  severe  as  I  feared, 
and  I  was  much  rejoiced  to  find  that,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
bruises,  he  was,  to  use  his  own  expression,  "  as  good  as  new,  sir." 
While  we  were  on  our  way  to  our  hotel,  we  were  overtaken  by 
one  of  our  players,  by  the  name  of  Joseph  Chapin.  He  was  a 
small,  attenuated  specimen  of  humanity.  That  he  was  inclined 
to  be  sickly  one  did  not  need  to  be  told,  for  his  pinched  features 
and  shrunken  form  amply  attested  it.  He  did  not  seem  to  have 
the  least  fellowship  for  any  one,  always  came  and  went  by  himself, 
and  rarely  engaged  in  conversation ;  though  scarcely  thirty  years 
old,  seemed  to  be  burdened  with  the  cares  of  age.  Since  we  had 
opened  our  room,  he  had  been  one  of  its  most  constant  frequent 
ers.  He  seemed  to  have  a  sufficiency  of  money  for  his  purpose, 
and  played  almost  steadily  against  the  bank,  but  lightly,  and  the 
most  he  would  win  or  lose  at  a  sitting  was  about  $50.  The  life 
of  Mr.  Chapin,  and  how  he  obtained  his  money,  appeared  to 
be  a  mystery  which  the  boys  could  not  fathom.  And  many  were 
the  turnings  over  which  he  got  in  our  rooms  in  his  absence  from 
them.  "Where  the  hell  does  Joe  Chapin  get  his  blunt  from? 
I  never  seed  'im  doin'  nothin'  for  it;  I  wonder  if  he  dusent  stand 
in  with  the  cross-men  ?  But  he  never  jines  'em !"  After  which  the 
speaker  proceeded  to  take  several  leisurely  whiffs  at  a  remark 
ably  dirty  meerschaum.  The  speaker  was  one  of  Mr.  McG-overn's 
friends;  the  time  early  in  the  evening,  ut  few  persons  being 


276  "WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

present  in  the  room.     "  Maybe  his  gal  comes  out  to  him,"  sug 
gested  another  gentleman  present. 

"  The  dirty  ghost !  and  is  it  him  have  a  gal  ?  he's  too  -white- 
livered  for  that,"  laughed  another. 

"He's  allers  got  the  blunt,  anyhow,  an'  that  tells  he's  a 
keener,"  dreamily  responded  the  first  speaker,  with  his  pipe 
in  his  mouth. . 

"Joe  Chapin,  gintlemen',  is  as  fine  a  pinman  as  ye'll  find  in 
the  cithy  o'  New  York,  an'  the  divil  a  man  in  it  can  put  his 
name  to  the  bottom  av  a  check  as  will  as  Joe  himself." 

These  remarks  were  received  with  many  exclamations  of  sur 
prise  and  wonder,  and  one  gentleman  present  gave  vent  to  a 
long,  low  whistle,  followed  by  a  "Wh — a — at!  and  that's  his 
game,  is  it?" 

"What  the  divil  do  ye  mane  by  axing  is  that  his  game  ?"  de 
manded  Mr.  McGovern,  pretending  to  be  very  indignant.  "Did 
I  say  anythin'  wrong  o'  the  man  ?  Am  I  a  man  capable  of  sland- 
therin'  a  gintleman?  The  divil  a  bit.  Not  Phil.  McGovern, 
begorra!" 

But  whenever  Joe's  foes  measured  tongues  with  him,  they 
stood  about  as  much  chance  as  a  novice  would  have  in  crossing 
swords  with  an  accomplished  duelist.  He  had  a  supple  tongue, 
which  was  never  at  a  loss  to  hurl  bitter  gibes  towards  his  adver 
saries.  He  seemed  also  to  have  a  perfect  knowledge  of  every 
one's  character,  antecedents,  and  present  social  standing,  and 
he  was  more  pleased  to  show  up  the  deformities  of  poor  human 
nature  than  its  redeeming  qualities.  The  bullies  held  him  in 
respectful  fear,  because,  on  the  few  occasions  in  which  he  had 
been  concerned  in  rows,  he  had  shown  an  ugly  disposition  to  use 
a  knife — an  instrument  held  in  great  detestation  by  your  mus 
cular  expounder  of  the  science  of  hitting  from  the  shoulder. 
Joe  and  myself  had  gotten  on  very  amicably  together,  and  he 
often  favored  me  with  a  dissertation  on  the  characters  of  those 
who  frequented  our  rooms,  and  if  any  one  of  them  ever  possessed 
the  smallest  virtue,  Joe  had,  unfortunately,  forgotten  the  fact. 

"Delightful  shindy  that,  Major?"  remarked  Mr.  Chapin, 
when  he  had  overhauled  us. 

.  "A  brutal  affair,  sir,  very  brutal,"  returned  the  Major,  doubt 
less  still  suffering  from  the  weight  of  the  fellow's  fist. 

"He's  a  whale.  If  he'd  had  a  fair  start,  now,  he'd  a  cleared 
out  that  McGovern  gan^." 


NEW  YORK.  277 

"Do  you  know  him?"  I  inquired. 

"Yes!  His  name's  Jack -Kline;  lie  keeps  order  for  Johnny 
Walker's  dance-house  in  the  Points." 

"He's  an  infernal  robber,"  angrily  cried  the  Major. 

"He  ain't  no  worse  than  the  rest  on  'em,  McGovern  and  his 
gang;  they're  all  on  it." 

"  On  it !  On  what  ?  "  demanded  the  Major. 

"The  rob,"  laconically  replied  Mr.  Chapin. 

"Mr.  McGovern  is  a  gentleman,  sir,  and  my  friend,"  said  the 
Major,  in  his  stiffest  manner,  and  stopping  in  his  walk  to  eye 
Chapin  from  head  to  foot  with  a  glance  which  ought  to  have 
annihilated  him. 

"Ha!  ha!  ha!"  laughed  Chapin,  on  whom  the  Major's 
dignity  did  not  seem  to  take  much  effect.  "He  a  gentleman!" 
What,  Oily  McGovern  ?  Why,  Major,  he's  the  dirtiest  thief  in 
New  York." 

"I  am  afraid  you're  somewhat  prejudiced  against  the  gentle 
man,"  I  remarked. 

"I  always  am  against  low-flung  villains  and  cowardly  row 
dies." 

"Has  he  lived  long  in  this  city?"  I  asked. 

"About  fifteen  years.  He'd  been  transported  to  Botany  Bay, 
had  he  not  left  Ireland  when  he  did,  and  he  left  it  in  a  hurry, 
too,  I  can  tell  you.  He  first  opened  a  three-cent  grog-shop 
and  a  fence  in  the  Five  Points ;  that's  where  he  got  his  first  start. 
Three  or  four  years  afterwards  he  fitted  up  that  rum-mill  of 
his  in  Chatham  street,  and  ever  since  it  was  opened  it  has  been 
the  resort  of  the  better  class  of  knucksmen,  cracksmen,  low  pol 
iticians,  prize-fighters,  and  that  kind  of  stock." 

"They  say  he  has  a  good  deal  of  political  influence  in  the 
city?"  I  asked,  merely  by  way  of  keeping  up  a  conversation,  as 
I  knew  anything  uttered  by  any  person  whatever,  against 
McGovern,  was  anything  but  agreeable  to  the  Major's  feelings. 

"Yes,  he  has  with  the  stock  that  visits  his  whiskey-mill,  and 
some  among  the  lower  orders  of  Irish." 

"What  has  made  him  so  popular  with  the  Irish?"    I  asked. 

"A  hundred  things,"  replied  Chapin.  "  He  gets  city  contracts, 
and  keeps  them  in  work ;  trusts  them  for  rum  at  his  dead-fall ; 
gets  up  prize-fights  for  their  amusement,  and  whenever  they're 
'pulled'  by  the  police,  he  gets  them  out  of  quod." 

"Then  he  must  have  some  weight  with  the  police?"  I  said. 


278  WANDERINGS  OF  A   VAGABOND. 

"Weight  with  the  police?  You  may  bet  he  has,  when  he  can 
send  any  one  he  takes  a  notion,  over  to  the  island,  or  up  the 
river." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  over  on  the  island  or  up  the  river?" 

"Why,  can  have  them  sent  to  the  penitentiary  or  Sing  Sing." 

"Oh!  that's  coming  it  rather  rough,  Chapin." 

"Well,  you  just  let  anybody  who  hasn't  friends  in  New  York, 
just  stack  up  against  McGovern  and  his  crew,  that  wants  to ; 
but  I  tell  you  they'll  soon  find  themselves  where  the  dogs  won't 
bite  em',  and  they'll  stand  an  almighty  poor  chance  o'  getting 
their  liberty  too." 

"  But  how  can  he  have  an  innocent  man  sent  to  prison?" 

"Because  he  can  get  fifty  men  to  go  into  the  witness  box  and 
swear  to  just  what  he  wants  'em  to.  He's  in  with  all  the  detect 
ives,  and  the  heads  of  police  departments,  and  is  influential 
with  many  of  the  police  judges,  and  other  high  officials ;  that's 
how  he  can  do  it." 

"That's  a  hard  customer  to  have  for  an  enemy,  ain't  it, 
Major?"  I  asked. 

"Pshaw!  Mr.  Chapin  is  amusing  himself  at  our  expense," 
contemptuously  replied  the  Major. 

"Well,  Major,  that's  the  politest  way  I've  heard  yet  of  telling  a 
man  he  lies;  but  take  a  fool's  advice,  if  you  want  to  stay  in  New 
York,  don't  make  an  enemy  of  Phil  McGovern." 

"Mr.  McGovern  is  my  friend,  sir,  and  has  no  cause  to  be  my 
enemy,  sir.  I  never  make  enemies,  sir,"  replied  the  Major,  be 
coming  more  and  more  heated  with  every  repetition  of  the  "sir." 

Fearing  an  angry  altercation  might  ensue  between  them,  I 
asked  Chapin  if  McGovern,  that  he  knew  of,  ever  injured  the 
business  of  any  faro-dealer  in  New  York. 

"No  strange  gambler  has  dealt  faro  in  the  city  for  the  last 
three  years,  but  McGovern  has  black-mailed  him  in  some  way 
or  other.  If  he  couldn't  cajole  him  into  letting  him  have  an  in 
terest  in  the  game  without  putting  up  his  own  money,  he  set 
his  ruffianly  gang  on  to  break  up  the  game.  And  he  has  put 
up  jobs  with  the  police  to  have  gamblers  arrested,  thrown  into 
prison,  and  there  kept  until  they  were  willing  to  come  down 
handsomely,  in  order  to  regain  their  liberty ;  and  for  no  other 
reason  in  the  world,  only  because  they  wouldn't  stand  black 
mailing." 


NEW  YORK.  279 

"Well,  Chapin,  if  that's  the  case,  I'll  try  and  keep  on  the 
right  side  of  him  during  our  stay  here." 

"You  can  do  that  in  only  one  way — by  letting  the  dirty  thief 
rob  you  in  some  way  or  another,"  said  Chapin,  who  now,  with  a 
"good-night,"  left  us,  and  crossed  the  street,  on  his  way  to  his 
own  lodgings. 

"Chapin  draws  a  pretty  rough  picture  of  Mr.  Mac,"  I  ob 
served. 

"Now,  Jack!  how  on  earth  can  you  give  credence  to  that 
sleek-tongued,  slanderous  viper?  I've  never  heard  that  fellow 
speak  well  of  any  one  yet." 

"That's  true,  Major,  nor  have  I  ever  heard  any  one  speak  well 
of  him.  But  there  must  be  some  truth  or  cause  for  him  speak 
ing  in  the  manner  he  did  of  McG-overn,  and  I'm  afraid  we'll 
have  trouble  with  him  yet." 

Though  the  Major  vouchsafed  me  no  reply,  it  was  evident  to 
me  that  his  faith  in  that  worthy  had  been  considerably  shaken. 
In  one  respect  he  was  entirely  undeceived.  In  Washington  he 
had  believed  him  to  be  a  gentleman  in  habits  and  manners,  as 
well  as  in  integrity  of  principle.  In  New  York  he  found  him  to 
be  the  associate  of  rowdies,  and  entering  with  zest  into  their 
brutal  habits  and  amusements.  Whether  he  had  begun  to  sus 
pect  his  honesty  of  purpose,  I  could  not  ascertain,  but  I  thought 
so.  However,  they  always  seemed  very  friendly,  and  the  Major 
invariably  treated  McGovern  with  the  most  punctilious  polite 
ness,  while  he  showed  the  Major  the  most  respectful  attention 
whenever  he  met  him  at  the  hotel,  where  he  sometimes  came,  or 
in  our  gambling-room.  But  he  never  had  invited  him  to  his 
place  of  business,  and  did  not  seem  at  all  desirous  of  being  seen 
in  company  with  him  on  the  street,  or  other  public  places, 
though  the  Major,  on  leaving  Washington,  had  no  doubt  ex 
pected  more  flattering  attention  from  his  friend,  Mr.  McGovern, 
while  sojourning  in  the  great  metropolis. 


280  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

CHAPTER    XXIII. 

SQUARING    ACCOUNTS. 

The  end  of  the  month  arrived,  and  with  it  our  day  of  settle 
ment.  Mr.  McGovern,  the  Major,  and  myself,  were  alone  in  our 
gambling  room.  When  I  had  figured  up,  and  given  a  few 
preliminary  ''hems,"  I  thus  addressed  my  audience.  "Gentle 
men,  the  bank  is  winner,  in  the  month,  $8,700  cash,  and  the 
$1,700  owed  it  by  Mr.  McGovern." 

"Is  it  me  owes  the  bank  siventeen  hundred  dollars?" 
exclaimed  Mr.  McGovern,  with  a  face  expressive  of  the  blankest 
astonishment. 

"That's  the  amount  of  your  losings,  at  your  various  plays 
against  it,"  I  coolly  replied. 

"To  h — 1  with  ye's!  An'  is  that  what  yer  at,  ye  thieves 
o'  the  worruld!  Begorra,  that's  fine  tratement,  anyhow,  an' 
meself  working  fur  ye's  ivery  night  o'  me  life  to  bring  players  to 
ye's !  An'  I  owe  the  bank  siventeen  hundred  dollars !  faith,  ye's 
won't  starve  for  cheek,  anyhow!"  said  Mr.  McGovern,  rising 
from  his  chair,  and  rapidly  pacing  the  room.  Then  suddenly 
stopping  in  his  walk,  he  faced  me,  and  said,  "  Begorra,  I  made 
a  great  mistake  when  I  took  ye's  for  a  gintleman." 

"Such  language,  sir,"  interrupted  the  Major,  "is  outrageous, 
and  there  is  no  justification  whatever  for  it,  sir.  Mr.  Morris 
demands  of  you  what  he  thinks  to  be  right.  I  told  him  myself, 
sir,  on  the  first  night  we  opened  hfcre,  that  your  play  against  the 
bank  was  a  genuine  one,  because  I  believed  it  to  be  so  myself, 
sir!" 

"A  ginuwine  one,  is  it?  The  divil  a  bit !  If  I'd  wanted  to 
play  in  airnest  fornenst  it,  wouldn't  I  towld  ye's  so  like  a  man  ? 
There's  no  humbuggin'  about  Phil  McGovern !  " 

"Very  well,  sir!"  said  the  Major,  "if  you  say  your  play 
against  the  bank  was  not  a  genuine  one,  have  it  so,  sir !" 

"  Be  J — s,  it's  myselfs  glad  to  see  some  rason  left  in  ye's  at 
any  rate,  an' as  the  little  matther  is  explained,  I'll  be  civil  enough 
to  say  I'm  sorry  we  had  any  words  on  such  a  dirthy  subject." 

"In  that  case,"  I  resumed,  "the  bank  is  winner  $8,700." 

"  Troth,  it's  in  bad  luck  'tis,  not  to  have  won  fifty  thousand. 
But  it's  thankful  we  ought  to  be  for  shmall  things." 


SQTJAKIN-G  ACCOUNTS.  281 

"  Out  of  this  sum  is  to  come  $514  for  the  fitting  up  of  this 
room,"  I  continued. 

"  Fan:  and  aisy,  Misther  Morris.  Split  that  small  item  be- 
twane  yersilf  an'  the  Major,  as  ye  plaze,  for  the  divil  a  cint  of 
it  comes  out  o'  my  share  o'  the  money,  mind  that,  now  1" 

"'Tis  but  right,  sir,  that  you  should  pay  your  share  of  the 
expenses,  sir ! "  said  the  Major. 

"  Divil  a  bit  o'  right  in  it,  Major.  The  room  was  for  yer  own 
convanience,  entirely.  'Twas  myself  was  to  bring  the  b'ys  to 
ye's,  an'  didn't  I  bring  lots  uv  'em ;  so  pay  yer  own  expinses,  for 
divil  a  cent  of  it  '11  yc's  get  from  Phil  McGovern." 

"  Very  well,  sir,  if  you  think  that  just,  have  it  so,  sir  I " 
exclaimed  the  Major,  in  a  voice  choked  with  passion. 

"  Well,  what  shall  I  do  now  ?  "  I  asked. 

"Do,  is  it?  Settle  up  the  game,  ye  spalpeen,  an'  give  to  each 
man  what  belongs  to  him." 

"  Then  there  is  $2,900  coming  to  you,  sir,"  I  politely  replied, 
taking  no  notice  of  his  insulting  manner. 

"  By  the  powers,  that's  good,  anyhow.  Thin  hand  mo  $1,900, 
me  b'y,  an'  I'll  lave  the  thousand  in  the  bank." 

"Three  thousand  dollars,  sir,  is  too  small  a  sum  to  bank  such 
a  game  as  we  are  dealing  here,  Mr.  McGovern,"  interposed  the 
Major.  "  We  should  have  a  bank  of  at  least  $6,000." 

"  The  divil  a  bit  small  is  it,  an'  if  yer  players  can  win  it,  sure 
I  wish  'em  joy  of  it.  Whin  they  win  thim  $3,000,  I'll  bring  'em 
twice  as  much  more  to  win  in  the  snap  o'  me  fingers." 

Three  thousand  dollars  in  bank,  and  one-third  belonging  to 
Mr.  McGovern!  Well,  that  was  better  than  when  we  first 
started  hi  partnership  with  that  worthy,  for  he  had  not  a  single 
dollar  in  the  game. 

Again  deceived !  Poor,  generous-hearted,  chivalric  old  Major ! 
And  for  the  fortieth  time  perhaps  in  your  life,  that,  meaning  no 
evil  itself,  thought  none  of  its  fellow  creatures.  Tour  generous, 
credulous,  and  unsuspicious  nature  formed  a  rich  pasturage  for 
crafty  knaves  to  batten  upon  ! 

The  footsteps  of  McGovern  had  scarcely  died  away  upon  the 
staircase,  when  the  Major  seized  his  hat  and  cane,  and  hastily 
left  the  room,  to  find  relief  for  his  pent-up  wrath  in  the  open  air. 
He  felt,  poor  old  man,  humiliated,  and  feared  my  taunts;  he 
need  not  have  done  so,  however,  for  I  had  no  wish  to  add  to  his 
torments.  %~  "  "*  ~~" 


282  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

Shortly  after  his  leaving,  I  lifted  up  the  window-sash  and 
looked  into  the  street.  There,  a  few  doors  away,  stood  the  Major, 
motionless  on  the  curb-stone,  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  vacancy,  evi 
dently  hi  the  state  of  mind  described  by  the  phrase,  "  a  brown 
study/'  I  withdrew  my  head  and  closed  the  window,  lest  ho 
might  suddenly  turn  and  detect  me  in  the  act  of  watching  him. 

That  night  our  game  ran  until  daylight,  and  we  closed  it  loser 
$490.  Neither  McGovern  nor  any  of  his  cronies  came  near  the 
place  during  the  evening ;  but  shortly  after  lighting  up  on  the 
following  one,  McGovern  made  his  appearance,  and  showing  signs 
of  being  in  a  great  hurry,  he  walked  up  to  the  Major  and  asked 
him  if  he  had  $1,000  he  could  loan  him  for  a  few  days. 

"I  have  not  that  amount  of  money  belonging  to  you  in  the 
game, sir,"  replied  the  Major,  coldly.  "We  lost  four  hundred 
and  ninety  dollars  last  night." 

"  An'  what  the  divil  if  ye  did  ?  Can't  ye  give  me  a  thousand 
dollars  for  a  few  days,  when  I  nade  it  ?" 

"Our  money,  sir,  is  all  deposited  in  bank,  except  what  I  carry 
with  me  to  bank  this  game,  sir!"  said  the  Major,  still  more  coldly. 

"  Blood-an-ouns !  Can't  you  untherstand  a  gintleman  when  he 
spakes  English.  I  want  the  money  an'  must  have  it ;  there'll  be 
lashins  left  to  carry  on  your  game,  if  ye's  give  me  a  thousand  out 
av  what  ye  have  there." 

"If  you  desire  it,  sir,  I  will  pay  over  to  you  what  belongs  to 
you  out  of  the  banking  money." 

"  How  much  might  that  be,  Major?" 

"Eight  hundred  and  thirty-six  dollars  and  sixty  cents,  sir,"  re 
plied  the  exact  Major. 

"Give  it  to  me,  thin!" 

The  Major  counted  out  the  money  and  handed  it  over  to  him. 

"Now,  Major  darlint,  jist  lind  me  the  loan  of  enough  to  make 
up  the  thousand;  sure  I'll  give  it  to  ye,  in  yer  fist,  in  a'day  or 
two!" 

"  I  have  no  more  money  in  the  bank  belonging  to  you,"  an- " 
swered  the  Major,  in  the  freezing  tones  he  had  used  throughout 
the  interview. 

"Is  it  denyin'  me  the  loan  of  a  few  dirthy  dollars  that  yc  are," 

.  roared  Mr.  McGovern,  in  a  rage.  "  Begorra,  there's  frinds  for  ye  I 

An'  afther  all  I  done  for  ye's  here.    By  the  Howly  St.  Patherick, 

I'd  a  bet  the  full  o'  both  me  fists  o'  hundther  dollar  bills,  I  could 


SQUARING  ACCOUNTS.  283 

av  had  every  tint  ye  had  in  the  wurruld  for  the  axin.  It's  de- 
saved  I  was  whin  I  took  ye's  undther  me  wing,  and  brought  ye's 
to  New  York." 

"  Mr.  McGovern,  we  are  now,  sir,  arranging  a  business  transac 
tion.  I  have  paid  over  to  you,  at  your  desire,  your  stake  in  our 
bank.  Whenever  you  wish  to  resume  your  interest  with  us  here, 
you  can  do  so  by  putting  up  your  money." 

The  red  face  of  Mr.  McGovern  waxed  purple.  He  had  made 
a  miss  instead  of  a  hit. 

"What  the  divil  do  ye  mane,  Major?  Bad  luck  to  the  chit  I'd 
touch  at  all,  at  all,  only  I've  pressin'  nade  of  it  just  now.  Haven't 
I  towld  ye's  always,  that  whenever  ye's  wanted  money  I'd  lave 
it  wid  ye's  in  a  moment  V 

"  If  you  desire  to  retain  your  interest  in  the  game,  we  want 
your  money  now,"  replied  the  Major. 

"Begorra,  but  that  same's  a  shabby  way  to  thrate  an'  owld 
frind  whin  he's  short  taken." 

"  I'm  treating  you  with  perfect  justice,  sir,"  the  Major  returned. 

"  An'  I'm  to  get  no  share  in  the  bank  till  I  hands  ye's  the  cash, 
is  it  that  ye  mane,  Major?" 

"  None,  sir,"  was  the  laconic  reply. 

"Thin  take  a  frind's  advice,  an'  close  yer  dirthy  game  if  ye've 
any  respect  for  the  heads  that  ye  carry  on  yer  shouldthers." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  threaten  me,  you  infernal  scoundrel !"  shout 
ed  the  Major,  springing  to  his  feet  and  snatching  his  cane. 

"Divil  a  bit!"  replied  Mr.  McGoveru, in  the  most  lamb-like 
tones;  "  it's  only  offerin'  ye  a  bit  o'  frindly  advice  I  am.  Musha, 
it's  a  grate  frind  I  am  to  ye's  intirely,  Major.  Good  avenin'  to 
ye's,  gentlemen,"  he  said,  with  a  mock  bow,  "  fur  fear  the  look  of 
Phil  McGoveru  might  choke  ye's,  I'll  take  him  out  o'  yer  sight," 
with  which  parting  salute  he  left  the  room. 

The  Major,  after  this  little  rencontre,  paced  up  and  down  the 
room  in  a  state  of  terrible  excitement;  but  according  to  his 
custom  in  such  cases,  he  did  not  give  vent  to  his  feelings  in 
curses,  as  another  might  have  done,  but  only  paced  up  and  down 
in  moody  silence,  with  his  cane  stuck  under  his  arm,  at  a  right 
angle. 

"Well,  Major,"  I  ventured  presently,  "what  do  you  intend 
doing  now  ?" 

"I  shall  leave  for  Richmond  to-morrow,  and  stay  there,  sir. 


284  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

It's  the  only  place  fit  for  a  gentleman  to  live  in.  I  feel,"  he  said 
•with  a  perceptible  effort,  after  a  slight  pause,  "that  I  have  de 
served  this  punishment,  and  am  provoked  and  disgusted  with  my 
self,  for  associating  so  long  with  such  a  set  of  unmitigated  rascals 
and  scoundrels.  I  ought  to  have  left  the  city  the  next  day  after 
the  disgraceful  row  the  infernal  ruffians  kicked  up  the  first  night 
we  opened  here ;  I  did  think  of  doing  it  at  the  time,  but  the  ex 
pense  which  we  had  incurred  in  getting  here,  and  fitting  up  this 
place,  together  with  the  amount  of  money  which  I  saw  a  chance 
of  winning,  decided  me  on  remaining,  against  my  better  judg 
ment — an  error  I  now  greatly  regret." 

"Then  you  have  concluded  to  remain  here  no  longer  than  to 
morrow  !" 

"  No,  sir;  I  shall  start  for  Richmond  to-morrow  morning,  as  I 
told  you." 

"  Then  I  shall  remain  here  and  deal  faro,"  I  replied,  with  the 
utmost  coolness. 

He  wheeled  suddenly  around  and  gazed  at  me  in  speechless 
astonishment,  as  if  he  thought  I  had  surely  gone  demented. 
Finally  he  found  voice  to  ask,  "Are  you  mad?" 

"  No !  but  I  mean  to  see  if  that  contemptible  Irish  ruffian  can 
prevent  me  from  dealing  my  game  here." 

"I  would  not  join  you,  sir,  in  your  venture,  for  all  the  money 
I've  seen  in  the  infernal  place  since  I  came  into  it.  I  don't  be 
lieve  even  our  lives  would  be  safe  since  that  brutal  villain  has 
become  our  enemy." 

"  I  don't  wish  or  expect  you  to  run  any  risk  of  the  kind,  Major; 
I'll  go  it  alone ! " 

At  first  he  thought  I  was  on  the  bluff,  but  when  he  found  I  was 
hi  sober  earnest,  and  meant  doing  exactly  as  I  said,  he  tried 
every  argument  of  which  he  was  master,  to  dissuade  me  from 
so  dangerous  an  undertaking  as  he  believed  this  to  be.  He  beg 
ged  and  coaxed  me  to  abandon  my  insane  project,  as  he  call 
ed  it,  and  prophesied  it  would  end  in  my  being  murdered  or 
sent  to  State  prison.  But  I  was  inexorable,  and  determined  on 
carrying  out  my  foolhardy  enterprise. 

The  next  evening  I  accompanied  him  on  board  the  Richmond 
steamer,  where,  before  bidding  him  "good-bye,"  he  extracted 
from  me  a  solemn  promise  to  keep  him  posted  up  on  all  my 
movements  in  New  York,  and  that,  in  case  I  failed  to  succeed 


LN  THE  LOCK-UP.  285 

there  as  I  anticipated,  I  would  immediately  join  him  in  Rich 
mond. 

Even  at  the  last  moment  the  old  fellow  tried  to  induce  me  to 
abandon  my  foolish  project  and  accompany  him,  offering  to  leave 
the  steamer,  and  wait  for  the  next  one,  in  order  to  give  me  an 
opportunity  for  making  my  preparations  for  leaving ;  but  I  was 
inexorable. 

"Good-bye,  Jack,  my  boy,"  he  said,  as  the  gang-plank  was 
about  being  withdrawn.  "You  know  where  Richmond  lies,  and 
whatever  happens,  you've  always  got  a  friend  there,  in  Major 
George  Jenks." 

At  that  moment  I  would  have  given  the  last  dollar  I  possess 
ed  in  the  world,  had  my  baggage  been  on  board  that  steamer, 
and  I  ready  to  accompany  the  Major  on  his  exodus  from  New 
York.  But  foolish  pride  withheld  me,  and  prevented  me  from 
putting  into  execution  the  greatest  desire  of  my  heart. 

I  watched  the  steamer  until  her  smoke-stacks  were  lost  in  the 
dim  distance,  then  retraced  my  steps  to  my  hotel,  feeling  more 
sorrowful  and  lonely  than  I  had  ever  felt  before  in  my  life. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

IN  THE  LOCK-UP. 

On  my  return  from  seeing  the  Major  off  for  Richmond,  I  im 
mediately  sought  the  advice  and  assistance  of  Mr.  Chapin,  for 
want  of  better,  made  him  acquainted  with  the  state  of  my 
affairs,  and  confided  to  him  my  intention  to  keep  open  my  faro- 
rooms  at  all  hazards.  Having  heard  me  to  the  end,  he  gave  a 
discouraging  shake  of  his  head,  and  at  once  advised  me  to  fol 
low  the  Major  as  soon  as  practicable. 

"  You'd  make  a  d — n  nice  job  of  it,  going  up  against  McGovern 
and  his  bruisers.  Why,  they'll  bust  you  all  up  in  five  minutes, 
and  what  are  you  going  to  do  about  it  f  No,  no,  McGovern  and 
his  stripe  rule  the  roost  here,  and  my  best  advice  to  you,  as  a 
friend,  is  to  close  up  yer  crib,  and  make  yourself  scarce  round 
these  diggin's,  fur  a  while,  anyhow." 

But  this  advice  by  no  means  coincided  with  my  desires. 


286  WANDERINGS  OF  A.  VAGABOND. 

"  Where's  that  fellow,  Kline,  that  got  such  a  thrashing  in  our 
rooms  the  other  night?"  I  asked,  not  even  thanking  him  for  his 
advice. 

"  Down  at  Johnny  Walker's  dance-house." 

"  I'll  give  that  fellow  five  dollars  a  night,  if  he  can  protect  my 
room." 

"  C-h-r-is-t !  that  fellow  wouldn't  be  a  marker  for  that  gang  of 
Phil  McGovern?s.  But  hold  on,  I've  got  it ;  there's  Clem  Jones, 
anothex  Five-Pointer,  and  the  best  fighter  in  North  America. 
Now,  if  you  can  get  him  and  Kline  joined,  you'd  have  a  full  team 
in  harness.  Could  you  afford  to  hire  both  ?  " 

"  I  can  afford  to  pay  for  any  protection." 

"Then  by  God  you're  all  right ! "  swore  Mr.  Chapin,  jumping 
up  from  his  chair  and  dancing  a  Jim  Crow  jig  round  the  room. 
"  C-h-r-i-s-t ! "  he  sung  out,  when  he  had  finished  his  exercise. 
"Them  two  fellers  can  whip,  in  a  lump,  all  the  shoulder-hitters 
in  New  York." 

"  Where  is  Mr.  Jones  to  be  found  ?  " 
•   "  Well,  he  makes  his  loafing  place  around  the  Five  Points." 

"  Couldn't  you  find-them,  and  bring  them  both  to  my  room, 
right  away  ?  "  I  asked. 

"I  don't  know — I'll  try  to;"  and  off  he  started  without 
another  word. 

Two  hours  had  scarcely  gone  around,  before  Mr.  Chapin 
entered  my  faro  room  with  the  two  aforementioned  gentlemen. 
Both  were  large,  powerfully  built  specimens  of  the  genus  homo. 
Their  powerful  frames  and  brawny  limbs,  together  with  their 
coarse,  heavy  features,  stamped  them  at  once  with  that  gladia 
torial  distinction  which  they  enjoyed  in  common  with  many  of 
their  compeers  of  the  bloody  Sixth.  With  them,  a  face  was  a 
"mug"  to  be  "mashed;"  a  man,  a  lay  figure  to  be  sent  to 
"grass,"  with  scientific  precision,  by  a  blow  from  their  sledge 
hammer  fists.  According  to  Mr.  Chapin,  they  had  been  a  terror 
to  the  rowdies  for  years,  who  visited  the  low  dance-houses  in 
the  classic  neighborhood  of  the  Five  Points.  I  opened  my 
business  with  these  muscular  gentlemen  by  offering  them  a  dose 
of  whiskey,  and  when  they  had  tossed  it  down  their  capacious 
throats,  I  proceeded  to  explain  what  I  required  of  them.  We 
easily  came  to  terms ;  Messrs.  Kline  and  Jones  agreeing  to  per 
form  what  fighting  I  required,  hi  consideration  of  the  paltry  sum 


IN  THE   LOCK-TIP.  287 

of  five  dollars  each  per  night,  payable  nightly  on  the  closing  of 
the  bank.  "The  services  which  I  require  of  you,  gentlemen,"  I 
said,  "  is  to  protect  my  room.  To  that  end,,  I  shall  expect  you 
to  be  on  hand  every  evening  when  I  light  up,  and  remain  until  I 
close  for  the  night.  You  are  to  remain  in  the  street,  and  keep 
yourselves  from  observation  as  much  as  practicable,  because  I  do 
not  wish  your  business  here  to  be  suspected  by  any  one  except 
ourselves.  I  shall  give  you  a  signal  by  which  you  will  know  if 
you  are  wanted.  You  are  not  to  come  unless  you  hear  that 
signal,  but  when  you  do  come,  come  with  a  rush."  I  took  from 
my  pocket  a  dog  whistle  given  me  by  Mr.  Lane  on  the  day  we 
parted  in  Richmond,  and  blew  a  shrill  blast.  "That's  the  signal, 
gentlemen,  and  when  you  hear  that  you  may  know  you're 
wanted,  and  can't  "get  here  too  quick. ,  If  I  only  desire  you  to 
put  some  one  into  the  street  who  is  disturbing  the  peace  and 
comfort,  and  making  a  muss  in  the  room,  you  are  to  do  it  as 
gently  as  possible,  and  put  the  person  out  without  hurting  him 
if  you  can.  But  if  any  rowdies  attempt  to  break  into  my  place, 
or  in  any  manner  commit  violence  about  the  premises,  I'll  give 
you  two  dollars  extra  for  every  one  of  them  that  you  will  pum 
mel  well." 

"  Bet  yer  guts  we'll  give  em  J — s,"  said  Mr.  Kline,  with  an 
ominous  shake  of  his  head,  at  the  same  time  straightening  his 
right  arm  and  throwing  out  his  clenched  fist  with  a  jerk  in  imi 
tation  of  that  movement  known  among  the  "fancy "as  "deliver 
ing  from  the  shoulder." 

"Air  you  specting  ennybuddy's  goin  ter  make  a  smash, 
here?"  inquired  Mr.  Jones. 

"•Well,  I  cannot  say,"  I  replied,  "but  I'm  afraid  of  that  Mc- 
Govern  gang,  and  if  you  see  any  of  them  prowling  about  the 
place,  keep  your  eyes  open." 

"  I  knows  them  roosters." 

"Wa-al  now,  if  Kline  and  me  can't  clean  out  them  cheese- 
eaters,  I'll  never  show  my  mug  to  the  Pints  again,"  said  Mr 
Jones. 

"  There  ain't  no  hazard  there,  Jonesy,  old  boy.  It's  a  flake 
o'  snow  to  a  brick  house  you  fellers  can  do  it,"  cried  Mr.  Chapin. 

"  I  think,  Mr.  Kline,  you've  a  small  settlement  of  your  own  to 
make  with  McGovern,  if  I'm  not  mistaken." 

"  Not  as  I  knows  on,"  he  replied. 


288  "WANDERINGS   OF  A  VAGABOND. 

"Do  you  remember  the  fight  you  were  engaged  in,  in  this  room, 
a  few  weeks  ago  ? "  I  asked. 

"  Yes,  I  do !  Them  fellers  knocked  the  kinks  out  o'  me,  then, 
kinder." 

"It  was  because  you  had  not  a  fair  chance.  While  you  were 
fighting' with  the  others,  McGovern  hit  you  on  the  head  from  be 
hind  with  a  chair,  and  knocked  you  down." 

"  You  don't  say  so !    Is  that  so  ?" 

"  Yes,  he  did,  and  it  was  a  cowardly  act,"  I  replied. 

"What  more  could  you  expect  from  such  a  dirty,  cowardly 
louse?"  asked  Mr.  Chapin. 

"  I'll  punch  his  head  in  for  that,"  said  Mr.  Kline,  shaking  a 
brawny  fist  in  the  air. 

"  He  richly  deserves  it,  Mr.  Kline,"  I  responded. 

"  I'll  eat  that  red  head  o'  hissen  off  fur  that,"  said  Mr.  Kline, 
gritting  his  teeth  together  till  the  sound  was  painfully  distinct, 
and  caused  the  cold  chills  to  run  down  my  back-bone. 

My  mercenary  guardians  now  left  me,  promising  to  be  at  their 
posts  at  the  appointed  time. 

"  It  wasn't  Phil  McGovern  that  knocked  Kline  down  the 
other  night,"  said  Chapin,  after  they  had  gone  j  "  it  was  Joe 
Delancy." 

"  What's  the  difference  who  knocked  him  down  ?  "  I  replied,"  so 
he  thinks  it  was  McGovern,  it  answers  my  purpose." 

"Phew!"  he  whistled.  "Not  a  bad  job  for  a  youngster  like 
you." 

I  caused  a  strong  lock  to  be  placed  on  the  door,  and  a  wicket 
window  to  be  put  into  it,  that  I  might  see  the  faces  of  those  de 
manding  entrance,  before  admitting  them.  Several  persons  who 
had  rendered  themselves  nuisances  while  there  I  shut  out  of  the 
room,  and  received  a  sound  cursing  for  my  pains,  but  I  happily 
recovered  from  its  effects.  My  guardians  were  duly  at  their 
posts  each  night  at  the  appointed  hour.  Neither  McGovern  nor 
any  of  those  persons  who  formerly  visited  us  in  his  company, 
ever  came  near  me,  and  I  began  to  feel  quite  secure. 

I  now  began  to  be  patronized  by  a  more  respectable  class, 
since  I  had  rid  the  room  of  many  roughs  and  loafers,  who  had 
formerly  made  it  their  loafing  place.  But  the  game  was  nothing 
like  as  lively  as  it  had  been  before.  Still,  it  was  every  day  im 
proving,  and  though  under  considerable  expense,  I  had  strong 


IN  THE   LOCK-UP.  289 

hopes,  if  not  molested,  of  making  money.  I  kept  a  negro  servant 
-to  attend  the  door,  and  paid  Mr.  Chapin  ten  dollars  per  day_  to 
assist  me  in  dealing  the  game.  This  was,  for  the  times,  high 
wages,  but  Chapin  was  useful  in  many  ways  to  me.  He  was  ac 
quainted  with  many  respectable  faro -players,  and  also  with  the 
rougher  characters  I  was  trying  to  keep  away  from  my  place. 
For  ten  days  everything  went  on  smoothly  and  peaceably,  and  my 
bank  was  about  $000  winner,  besides  its  attendant  expenses. 
The  constant  fear  of  a  visitation  from  the  roughs,  under  which  I 
first  labored,  wore  off  gradually,  and  as  time  passed  without  any 
demonstration  from  that  quarter,  I  began  to  dream  of  security, 
and  to  make  up  my  mind  that  McGovern  had  abandoned  his 
hostile  intentions,  if  he  had  entertained  any.  But  we  are  born 
to  disappointments  in  this  world,  and  I  was  not  to  miss  my 
birthright. 

One  night  while  the  game  was  going  quietly  forward,  and  the 
hands  of  the  clock  pointed  to  twelve,  a  violent  ring  at  the  bell 
caused  me  to  rise  from  my  chair  and  approach  the  wicket  to  re 
connoitre.  I  discovered  on  the  outside  the  figures  of  eight  or  nine 
persons,  and  with  his  face  pressed  closely  against  the  wicket,  Joe 
Delancy,  the  constant  companion  of  McGovern,  and  standing 
close  behind  him  I  discovered  the  pock-marked  features  of 
another  of  his  gang,  named  Larry  Mooney. 

"  What's  wanted,  gentlemen  ?"  I  inquired. 

"Wanted,  is  it?  We  want  to  get  in.  What  the  h — 1  do  ye 
suppose  we  want,"  answered  the  voice  of  Delancy. 

"  You  must  excuse  me,  gentlemen;  my  room  is  private." 

"Is  it?  Then  I'll  d — n  soon  make  it  public,"  roared  Delancy, 
at  the  same  time  placing  his  shoulder  to  the  door,  and  throwing 
upon  it  the  whole  weight  of  a  by  no  means  delicate  frame.  But 
the  door  did  not  yield  to  his  strength.  "  Give  me  a  lift  here,  b'ys," 
he  shouted,  and  in  an  instant  Mooney  and  two  more  of  the  gang 
came  to  his  assistance.  "  Heave  ho,  and  here  she  goes,"  sung 
out  Delancy  in  the  true  Matelot  strain,  and  the  whole  party 
surged  with  might  and  main  against  the  door.  Quick  as  thought 
I  rushed  to  the  window,  threw  up  the  sash,  and,  putting  my 
whistle  to  my  lips,  sounded  upon  it  a  shrill  note.  I  then  ordered 
. Chapin  to  buy  in  what  checks  were  among  the  players;  but  it 
was  unnecessary,  as  they  had  already  passed  them  in,  and  received 
.their  money  for  them.  But  three  players  had  any  chips  at  the 


290  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

time,  consequently,  that  part  of  the  business  was  soon  finished. 
Altogether,  we  had  but  seven  of  our  patrons  present  when  the 
attack  on  the  door  commenced,  and  these  showed  the  most  abject 
and  cowardly  fear  the  moment  the  party  on  the  outside  com 
menced  trying  to  break  it  down.  The  room  which  looked  on  the 
street  was  on  the  second  story,  and  had  no  exit  except  the  stair 
case  and  door  now  in  possession  of  the  rowdies.  Our  players 
rushed  to  the  windows,  and  would  have  tried  to  make  their  es 
cape  to  the  street  below,  by  jumping  from  them,  which  would  cer 
tainly  have  resulted  in  broken  limbs,  if  not  loss  of  life  to  some  of 
them,  had  not  Chapin  and  myself  prevented  them  from  doing 
such  a  rash  act. 

"There's  no  danger,  gentlemen,"  cried  Mr.  Chapin;  "keep 
cool  a  moment  and  you  will  see  one  of  the  nicest  mills  you  ever 
saw  in  your  life. 

Jones  and  Kline  were  on  the  track  of  the  McGovernites,  and 
cat-like  and  unseen  had  been  watching  their  movements  since 
their  first  appearance  in  the  street,  and  on  their  ascending  the 
stairway  had  crept  to  the  entrance,  where  they  waited  impatiently 
for  the  signal  to  commence  hostilities. 

A  few  of  those  powerful  surges  against  the  rickety  old  door 
tore  off  its  lock,  and  in  rushed  the  McGovernites  (some  of  them 
with  more  force  than  elegance,  caused  by  the  sudden  yielding  of 
the  lock)  with  the  redoubtable  Delaucy  at  their  head.  He  took 
a  rapid  survey  of  the  room,  and  seeing  nothing  to  oppose  him, 
and  only  a  set  of  cowering  men  huddled  near  the  windows,  he 
shouted  to  his  followers,  "  Come  on,  b'ys,  let's  clane  out  the  d — n 
crib.  Dash  iverythiug  ye's  find  out  o'  the  windys."  And  suiting 
the  action  to  the  word,  and  by  way  of  encouraging  his  comrades, 
he  seized  hold  of  the  faro-table,  on  which  were  all  the  tools  of 
the  game.  Some  of  his  companions  came  at  once  to  his  assistance, 
and  the  table  was  already  lifted  from  the  floor,  and  being  borne 
towards  the  windows,  when  the  ruffians  were  pounced  upon  by 
Kline  and  Jones,  both  armed  with  clubs.  It  was  a  complete 
surprise,  and  a  complete  walk-over  for  Mr.  Kline  and  his  com 
panion.  The  McGovernites  were  allowed  no  time  to  recover  from 
their  surprise,  until  they  were  knocked  off  their  pins,  and  lay 
stretched  on  the  floor,  to  a  man.  In  this  condition  they  were 
kicked  and  stamped  by  the  boots  of  Jones  and  Kline,  until  they 
lost  all  consciousness.  After  which  those  worthies  threw  them 


IN  THE   LOCK-UP.  291 

one  by  one  into  the  street,  like  so  many  slaughtered  hogs,  to  re 
cover  the  best  way  they  could.  The  whole  affair,  from  beginning 
to  end,  did  not  last  more  than  ten  minutes,  and  the  dragging  the 
victims  from  the  room,  and  throwing  them  into  the  street,  occu 
pied  at  least  half  that  time.  Our  patrons  fled  incontinently  as  soon 
as  the  McGovernites  were  floored  by  the  prowess  of  Messrs.  Jones 
and  Kline.  The  work  of  these  worthies  being  finished,  Chapiii 
and  myself  were  fain  to  put  out  the  lights,  our  servant  having 
escaped  from  the  scene  with  the  players.  We  then  set  up  the 
broken  door  against  the  entrance,  and  descended  into  the  street, 
which  was  lighted  by  a  dim  moon  in  its  last  quarter.  Lights 
could  be  seen  shining  in  many  of  the  buildings  along  the  Bowery; 
but  not  a  soul  was  stirring,  as  far  as  we  could  see  up  and  down 
the  broad  street.  Mr.  Jones  and  his  comrade  were  standing  on 
the  pavement  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  discussing  their  late  battle 
while  gazing  at  their  victims. 

I  now  began  to  feel  uneasy  about  the  condition  of  the  de 
feated  rowdies,  and  asked  Kline  if  he  thought  any  of  them  had 
been  seriously  injured. 

"  Injured ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Chapin,  in  the  greatest  astonish 
ment.  "  Why,  you  can't  hurt  one  o'  them  roosters;  they  relish  a 
lickin'  every  now  and  then." 

I  went  up  to  one  who  was  lying  doubled  up  near  the  pave  - 
ment,  caught  hold  of  his  leg  and  shook  it,  in  order  to  see  if  I 
could  not  brings  him  to  a  state  of  consciousness,  when  he  suddenly 
raised  his  foot,  and  let  fly  such  a  kick  at  me  as  sent  me  into  the 
middle  of  the  street,  and  laid  me  out  there  on  the  flat  of  my  back. 
I  was  rescued  from  this  perilous  position  by  the  benevolent 
Jones,  who  soothingly  remarked,  "  Sarved  ye  right,  he  oughter 
kicked  the  head  o'  ye.  Don't  you  know  them  fellers  is  danger- 
ousest  when  they're  dead." 

On  the  way  to  my  hotel,  we  stepped  into  a  coffee-house  and 
"  liquored,"  after*  which  I  gave  my  guardians  their  wages,  and 
two  dollars  each,  as  was  agreed,  for  the  eight  McGovernites 
they  had  so  unmercifully  drubbed;  which  they  received  with 
many  acknowledgments,  and  promised  to  be  at  their  post  on 
the  following  night.  Mr.  Chapin  accompanied  me  to  my  hotel, 
and  as  he  was  about  leaving  me,  I  asked  him  if  he  thought  I 
should  succeed  in  keeping  my  room  open. 

"  Keep  it  open ! "  exclaimed  my  companion.     "  C 1,  yer  up 


292  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

:  in  the  pictures  now.     Whenever  one  has  won  a  first-class  fight 
in  New  York,  he's  established  himself." 

When  I  had  eaten  my  breakfast  in  the  morning,  I  went  down 
to  the  gambling  room,  where  I  found  my  servant  settling  things 
after  last  night's  scrimmage ;  I  sent  for  a  carpenter,  and  had 
the  broken-down  door  repaired,  and  in  the  evening  I  was  once 
more  ready  to  receive  company.  I  still  felt  uneasy,  lest  some  of 
the  rowdies  were  severely  hurt ;  not  that  I  entertained,  personally, 
any  sympathy  for  them.  Had  the  whole  batch  died  from  the 
effects  of  the  thrashing  they  had  received,  it  would  not  have  cost 
me  a  moment's  sorrow.  But  the  thought  of  being  dragged  within 
the  meshes  of  the  law,  on  the  charge  of  aiding  and  abetting 
murder,  was  anything  but  pleasant. 

Directly  Mr.  Chapin  made  his  appearance,  I  sent  him  out  to 
try  and  gather  some  news  of  the  dkcomfited  McGovernites.  In 
about  an  hour  he  returned,  and  I  could  almost  have  hugged  his 
skeleton  carcass  to  my  bosom,  when  he  informed  me  that  none 
of  the  rowdies  were  dead,  but,  instead  of  that,  were  all  but  two 
on  their  feet  and  ready  to  stand  another  flogging. 

"  And  did  you  learn  if  they  were  seriously  hurt?  w 

"One  on  'em  has  got  his  head  mashed  pretty  badly." 

"Is  he  likely  to  die?" 

"  C 1 !  yer  couldn't  kill  ona  o'  them  roosters  with  a  chain 

shot!" 

Neither  on  that  night  nor  the  following  one,  did  any  of  our 
patrons  come  to  our  place.  The  row  had  scared  them  away. 
On  the  third  night,  however,  three  dropped  in,  played  an  hour  or 
so,  and  departed.  Chapin  and  myself  sat  up  until  after  mid 
night,  but  as  there  were  no  signs  of  more  customers,  we  finally 
closed  our  room  and  went  to  bed.  On  the  following  night,  as 
soon  as  we  had  lighted  up,  Chapin  and  my  servant,  as  was  their 
custom  at  that  hour,  went  to  their  suppers,  leaving  me  alone  in 
my  room.  They  had  been  gone  scarcely  five  minutes,  when  the 
door-bell  was  rung  violently.  I  hastened  to  open  the  wicket 
and  look.  out.  I  discovered  several  persons  in  the  uniform  of 
policemen,  and,  as  far  as  I  could  see  from  my  place  of  espial,  the 
stairway  was  blocked  by  them.  I  therefore  concluded  their  num- 
-  bers  were  considerable,  eight  or  ten  at  least. 

"  Open  that  door ! "  was  the  surly  reply  to  my  question  of 
--"  What  do  you  want,  gentlemen?" 


IN  THE  LOCK-UP.  2£ 

"On  what  authority  must  I  open  my  door?" 

•"-Fin  a  lieutenant  of  police.  Do  you  see  that?"  answered 
the  person  standing  at  the  wicket,  at  the  same  time  pointing  to 
the  silver  star  on  the  breast  of  his  coat. 

"  Yes,  I  see  it,"  I  replied,  "but  whoever  you  are,  you  cannot 
come  into  my  rooms  without  you  have  the  warrant  of  a  magis 
trate,"  was  my  answer. 

"  Open  the  door,  or  Fll  break  it  in! "  was  his  response. 

"  Do  it  at  your  peril !  "  I  rejoined. 

"Burst  in  the  door,"  ordered  he  of  the  silver  star.  He  was 
immediately  obeyed,  and  my  room  was  filled  with  a  swarm  of 
blue  coats,  headed  by  a  tall,  powerful,  red-haired  and  sandy 
whiskered  fellow,  who  claimed  to  be  their  lieutenant.  He 
took  a  rapid  survey  of  the  room,  and  seeing  no  one  but  myself 
there,  he  roughly  accosted  me  with,  "Where's  your  com 
panions,  young  man?" 

"  I  am  sole  master  here,"  I  replied. 

"None  o'  your  impudence,  youngster!  where's  them  hired 
murderers  o'  yourn!  Kline  and  Jones,  and  that  sneak  thief, 
Chapin?" 

"You've  got  a  d — n  sight  of  effrontery,  you  mean  scoundrel,  to 
break  into  a  man's  house  without  a  warrant  from  a  magistrate, 
at  any  rate,  and  it  may  cost  you  dear,  before  it's  done  with." 

"  Put  the  darbies  on  the  kid,"  drawled  out  the  lieutenant  to 
one  of  his  subordinates,  and  in  a  moment  more  I  was  adorned 
with  a  portion  of  the  jewelry  belonging  to  the  city.  "Take 
everything  here  to  the  station-house,  and  take  the  kid  to  the 
lock-up,"  ordered  the  red-haired  lieutenant;  and  I  soon  had 
ocular  demonstration  of  the  ease  with  which  a  man,  guilty  of  no 
crime,  may  be  entombed  in  a  prison. 

On  our  arrival  at  the  station-house  I  was  relieved  of  my 
"darbies,"  and  handed  over  to  an  ancient  citizen,  who  lost  no 
time  in  going  through  my  clothes,  and  relieving  me  of  my  watch 
and  $1,024  in  money.  Being  ever  in  dread  of  my  present  mis 
fortune,  and  also  afraid  of  being  robbed,  I  had,  since  I  parted 
from  the  Major,  kept  no  money  in  my  possession,  except  about 
$1,000,  which  I  considered  sufficient  for  banking  my  game.  The 
remainder,  amounting  to  something  like  $8,000,  I  kept  deposited 
in  the  Bank  of  North  America, 

I  gave  my  name  to  the  clerk  as  John  Grimes,  and  demanded 


294  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

of  him  a  receipt  for  my  money  and  watch.  "We  don't  give  any," 
he  gruffly  answered.  "  Then  I  call  upon  you,  and  you,  and  you," 
I  said,  pointing  to  the  policemen  who  were  present,  "  to  take 
notice  that  a  gold  watch,  Tobias,  maker,  No.  1980,  and  $1024, 
in  New  York  city  bank  bills,  have  been  taken  from  me ;  I  wish 
you  to  bear  this  in  mind,  gentlemen,  for  I  may  have  to  call  upon 
you  to  prove  it."  A  general  laugh  was  the  only  response  to  this 
appeal. 

"Lock  the  kid  in  No  17,"  ordered  a  gentleman  behind  the  desk. 

In  a  few  moments  I  was  gazing  out  onto  a  small  paved  court 
yard,  from  between  the  iron  bars  of  my  cell  door.  I  had  the 
apartment  all  to  myself,  "the  monarch  of  all  I  surveyed,"  in  a 
limited  sense.  I  paced  the  floor  of  my  narrow  quarters  until  I 
heard  the  city  clocks  strike  five,  when  I  threw  myself  on  the 
straw  in  one  corner,  and  was  soon  lost  to  life's  cares  and  sorrows. 

"  Tired  natnre'8  sweet  restorer,  balmy  sleep." 

I  was  awakened  from  my  slumbers  by  the  unlocking  of  my 
prison  door,  and  a  coarse  voice  fell  on  my  ear  with  "  Here's  yer 
bruckfast."  I  looked  up  and  saw  two  men,  one  of  whom  held  in 
one  hand  a  bunch  of  keys,  while  with  the  other  he  held  open  the 
door  of  my  cell.  The  other  fellow  placed  on  the  floor  a  small  tin 
pan.  The  door  was  locked  again,  and  both  vanished.  I  could  hear 
the  locking  and  unlocking  of  doors,  and  the  buzz  of  human  voices. 
The  sun  was  sending  a  small  stream  of  rays  into  my  cell,  and  I 
arose  from  my  bed  of  straw,  stiff  and  unrefreshed,  and  examined 
with  some  curiosity  the  contents  of  the  pan,  in  which  I  had  been 
informed  was  my  "  bruckfast."  It  contained  about  a  pint  of  thin 
broth,  and  a  bone  with  a  few  shreds  of  meat  attached;  also  two 
ship  biscuits.  I  had  no  stomach  for  this  feast,  and  to  procure 
better  I  shouted  through  the  grating  of  my  cell  door  for  some  one 
to  come  to  me ;  but  no  one  answered  my  call.  I  shouted  the 
louder,  and  kept  on  doing  so,  in  hopes  some  one  might  come.  Pres 
ently  a  coarse,  ill-looking,  worse  clad  and  supremely  dirty  fellow, 
showed  his  burly  form  before  the  door,  and  putting  his  face  close 
to  the  grating,  said,  in  a  cold,  low  voice,  "If  I  comes  in  there  to 
ye's,  I'll  make  yer  screech  worse  than  that  wid  a  cow-hide,  ye 
d — n  thief."  This  cold-blooded  threat,  uttered  in  such  a  matter- 
of-fact  tone,  struck  me  with  horror,  and  caused  me  to  recoil  from 
my  cell  door. 


IN  THE  LOCK-TIP.  295 

"What  the  h — 1  are  ye's  makin'  all  that  fuss  about,  hey?  Why 
don't  yer  spake,  ye  d — n  whelp?"  he  angrily  demanded. 

"  I  see  no  justification  for  such  harsh  language  as  that,  sir !"  I 
replied. 

"  What  do  yer  want?  damn  yer,"  he  again  demanded, without 
noticing  my  remark. 

"  I  want  to  get  somebody  to  go  to  a  restaurant,  and  get  me 
something  to  eat.  I've  money  to  pay  for  it." 

"There's  yer  bruckfast,  an'  if  yer  don't  like  it,  leave  it,  d — n 
yer,  and  don't  let  me  hear  any  more  wind  from  that  trap  o'  yourn, 
or  I'll  bust.it.  D'ye  hear,  youngster?"  he  said,  pointing  his  finger 
at  me  in  a  threatening  manner.  He  said  no  more,  but,  to  my 
great  relief,  now  left  me. 

About  an  hour  before  dark  my  cell  door  was  again  opened, 
another  pan  was  left  on  the  floor  and  the  door  relocked  without 
a  word  being  spoken  to  me.  The  second  meal  offered  was  pre 
cisely  the  counterpart  of  the  first — some  broth,  a  boiled  bone,  and 
two  ship  biscuits.  I  paced  my  cell  until  wearied  down,  when  I 
sought  my  bed  of  straw,  and  slept  soundly  until  morning.  My 
jailers  again  opened  my  door,  and  again  left  the  same  kind  of 
meal  they  had  before,  and  removed  the  two  pans,  with  their  con 
tents  untasted.  While  doing  so  I  asked  when  I  was  to  have  an 
examination;  but  they  only  looked  at  me  for  a  moment  with  a 
vacant  stare,  and  then  locked  my  cell  door.  Hunger  had  now 
gotten  the  best  of  me,  and  although  I  could  not  yet  stomach  the 
contents  of  the  pan,  I  ate  the  crackers  with  a  great  relish.  In 
the  evening  the  same  stereotyped  meal  was  left  me,  and  I  passed 
the  night  in  the  same  manner  as  the  two  preceding  ones. 

During  my  sojourn  in  the  city,  I  had  taken  pains  to  acquaint 
myself  with  the  "modus  operand!"  of  its  police  courts,  and  also 
its  upper  courts  of  justice,  and  was  perfectly  well  aware  that  it 
was  the  duty  of  the  persons  arresting  me  to  have  arraigned  me 
before  some  police  justice  on  the  following  morning.  I  had  also 
informed  myself  concerning  its  gambling  laws,  and  knew  the  ex 
treme  penalty  for  dealing  any  banking  game  of  chance  was  $50 ; 
consequently  I  had  no  fears  in  that  direction.  Neither  did  I  en 
tertain  any  concerning  the  thrashed  McGovernites,  for  I  had 
learned  positively,  on  the  day  preceding  my  arrest,  that  they 
were  all  upon  their  legs  again.  I  became  convinced  that  these 
irregular  and  mysterious  proceedings  had  been  taken  against  me 


WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

for  the  purpose  of  frightening  me  out  of  my  money,  and  I  was 
firmly  determined  that  I  would  not  be  robbed  in  that  manner. 

With  fretful  impatience,  and  much  inward  chafing,  I  bore  my 
confinement  for  the  first  two  days ;  but  gradually  becoming  more 
calm,  I  awaited,  almost  with  indifference,  the  final  solution  of  my 
affairs. 

On  the  fourth  evening  of  my  confinement,  between  the  unusual 
hours  of  eight  and  nine*  my  cell  door  was  unlocked  by  a  tall, 
thin,  consumptive-looking  turnkey,  and  I  was  ordered  to  come 
forth.  I  followed  him  into  a  wide  hall,  on  each  side  of  which 
were  two  rooms.  Into  one  of  those  he  ushered  me,  and  ordered 
toe  to  remain,  after  which  he  left  me,  closing  the  door  behind  him 
without  locking  it.  It  was  a  fine  large  apartment  decently 
furnished.  A  plain  but  substantial  carpet  covered  the  floor,  a 
clean-looking  double-bed  occupied  the  end  of  the  room  opposite 
the  door,  and  against  a  large  window,  hung  with  faded  silk  cur 
tains,  stood  a  centre-table  covered  with  blue  cloth,  on  which 
burned  an  astral  lamp.  On  the  table  were  several  books  and 
papers,  an  ink-stand,  and  a  decanter  half  filled  with  liquor,  to 
gether  with  two  or  three  tumblers.  Several  cane-bottomed  chairs 
stood  about  the  room  in  a  disorderly  manner,  and  its  whole  ap 
pearance  indicated  that  it  had  quite  lately  been  occupied  by  a 
party,  and  the  recently  used  glasses  proclaimed  the  fact  that 
they  had  been  regaling  themselves. 

Not  wishing  them  to  have  any  advantage  over  me  in  that 
respect,  I  poured  some  of  the  liquor  into  one  of  the  tumblers,  and, 
by  its  smell,  thought  it  a  good  article  of  brandy ;  but  to  make 
sure,  I  "put  myself  outside  of  it,"  in  the  language  of  the  im 
mortal  Arternus,  as  speedily  as  possible.  While  engaged  in 
this,  to  me,  then,  very  satisfactory  occupation,  the  door  was  soft 
ly  opened,  and  there  glided  into  the  room  a  tall,  cadaverous 
gentleman,  with  a  pair  of  gold  spectacles  on  his  nose.  He  was 
attired  in  a  claw-hammer  coat,  vest,  and  pants,  of  seedy  black 
broadcloth,  and  wore  an  immaculate  white  shirt,  with- a  high 
standing  collar,  while  around  his  neck  was  wound,  in  voluminous 
folds,  a  white  choker.  His  head  was  bald,  and  he  wore  no  beard 
upon  his  face.  To  judge  by  his  bent  body,  pinched  features, 
and  the  thin  sprinkling  of  gray  hairs  which  formed  a  ring  round 
the  lower  part  of  his  cranium,  he  was  hunting  up  fifty  years  very 
fast.  He  approached  me  with  a  smirking  face,  rubbing  his 


IN  THE  LOCK-UP.  297 

hands  together  perpetually  (which,  on  reflection  afterwards,  I 
concluded  was  figuratively  washing  them  from  the  clinging 
filth  of  all  the  disreputable  businesses  in  which  they  had  been 
engaged) ;  he  addressed  me  in  a  bland  tone,  with,  "  Good 
evening,  my  young  friend !  Taking  a  little  comfort,  eh  ?  Glad 
to  see  you  enjoy  yourself.  Be  seated,  pray ! "  I  complied  with 
his  request,  and  patiently  awaited  his  overtures.  I  was  not 
long  left  in  suspense;  for,  after  a  few  preliminary  ahems,  my 
companion  opened  his  batteries  with,  "  Bad  business !  Bad 
business  this,  Mr.  Grimes." 

I  looked  towards  the  door,  supposing  he  was  addressing  a 
new  comer,  when  I  suddenly  recollected  that  I  had  given  the 
name  of  Grimes  to  the  clerk,  on  the  night  of  my  arrest. 

"Well,  I  don't  know,  sir!  It  looks  very  pleasant  here.  Beg 
pardon,  sir;  but  whom  have  I  the  pleasure  of  addressing  ?" 

"  Sedgewick,  my  dear  young  friend,  of  the  firm  of  Sedgewick 
&  Snipes,  Counselors  and  Attorneys  at  Law,  at  your  service, 
if  you  need  anything  in  our  line." 

"What  a  singular  place  for  a  lawyer's  office,  Mr.  Sedgewick!  " 
I  exclaimed,  gazing  about  the  room. 

"  Oh !  my  dear  sir,  our  office  is  in  Park  Row.  This  beautiful 
room  belongs  to  Captain  Smith,  but  he  kindly  allows  me  to  use 
it  whenever  I  visit  this  place  to  aid  the  unfortunate." 

"  Who  is  Captain  Smith  ?  "  I  inquired. 

"  He's  the  chief  police  officer  of  this  precinct." 

"Did  the  Captain  send  you  here  to  consult  with  me?  " 

"  Oh  dear,  no !  I  merely  saw  your  name  on  the  books  among 
the  list  of  prisoners,  and  after  examining  into  the  charges  against 
you,  thought  I  could  not  do  better  than  give  you  a  call." 

"  Indeed,  sir !  You  are  very  kind,  and  I  am  most  grateful  for 
it." 

"  Not  at  all !  Not  at  all!  Don't  mention  it,  my  dear  sir.  The 
duty  of  my  profession  is  to  aid  the  unfortunate." 

"  Why  have  they  kept  me  here  so  long,  without  an  examina 
tion?"  I  asked. 

"Because  Captain  Smith,  who  is  one  of  the  kindest-hearted 
men  in  the  world,  is  anxious  to  save  you,  sir !  Had  your  case 
been  pushed  on  at  the  present  time,  I'm  afraid  it  would  have 
gone  hard  with  you,  my  dear  sir  ! "  said  Mr.  Sedgewick,  with  an 
ominous  shake  of  his  head. 


298  -WANDERINGS   OF  A   VAGABOND. 

"  Why,  sir,  what  have  I  done  to  merit  so  severe  a  fate,  sir  ?  " 

"  I  see,  my  dear  young  friend,  that  you  do  not  seem  to  realize 
the  perilous  position  in  which  you  stand.  Let  me  solemnly  as 
sure  you,  sir,  that  if  matters  were  pushed  to  extremities  against 
you,  six  months  on  the  Island  would  be  the  most  lenient  pun 
ishment  you  could  expect ! " 

"  You  alarm  me,  Mr.  Sedgewick !   Of  what  am  I  accused,  sir?  " 

"There  are  several  complaints  against  you,  sir !  First,  you 
have  been  keeping  a  gambling  house — a  misdemeanor  which  the 
authorities  can  turn  into  a  felony,  if  they  wish  to  make  an 
example ;  and  in  such  a  position  would  you  stand,  were  your 
case  brought  before  the  courts.  Numerous  complaints  have 
lately  been  made  against  gaming  houses,  by  citizens,  and  the 
attention  of  the  public  has  been  drawn  to  the  subject.  You  are 
also  charged  with  keeping  a  disorderly  place,  and  with  having 
attempted  the  lives  of  several  persons  there,  by  hiring  bullies  to 
beat,  and  otherwise  maltreat  them,  while  on  your  premises. 
Such  an  offense,  my  dear  sir,  if  proven,  would  send  you  to  Sing 
Sing." 

"  And  you  say  Captain  Smith  does  not  wish  me  to  be  prose 
cuted!" 

"  He  wishes  to  save  you,  sir,  on  account  of  your  youth ;  besides, 
he  believes  you  to  have  been  the  dupe  of  bad,  designing  men." 

"  Has  he  arrested  any  person  concerned  with  this  affair,  with 
the  exception  of  myself  ?" 

"  You  press  me  too  hard,  my  dear  young  friend.  I  cannot  say, 
because  I  do  not  know ;  but  if  your  case  could  be  kept  out  of 
court,  it  would  relieve  all  others  who  have  been  in  any  way  con 
nected  with  you.  If,  my  dear  sir,  you  will  leave  yourself  in  my 
hands,  I  will  engage  to  snatch  you  from  the  clutches  of  the 
relentless  law.  At  least  the  firm  of  Sedgewick  &  Snipes  never 
yet  failed  to  do  that  which  they  set  out  to  do ! "  he  added,  with 
a  low  cackle. 

"  How  can  you  clear  me,  Mr.  Sedgewick?  "  I  inquired. 

"That's  my  secret,  my  young  friend,"  he  replied.  "But  this 
much  I'll  tell  you,  I  must  prevent  your  case  from  coming  before 
the  courts.  Do  you  see?"  he  asked  me,  placing  his  forefinger 
alongside  of  his  nose,  while  at  the  same  moment  he  winked  at 
me  with  his  right  eye. 

"  Then  you  think  if  my  case  goes  before  the  courts  I  shall  be 
severely  punished?" 


IN  THE  LOCK-UP.  299 

"  With  the  rod  of  Nemesis,  my  dear  young  sir." 

"  What  sort  of  a  rod  is  that,  sir?" 

"Dear  me,  you're  not  up  in  mythology,  sir?  Nemesis,  my 
dear  young  friend,  was  the  Grecian  goddess  of  retributive  jus 
tice." 

"  I  don't  want  anything  to  do  with  her,  sir.  But  can't  you  get 
me  out  of  here,  Mr.  Sedgewick  ?  I  don't  want  to  stop  any  long 
er.  The  soup  is  bad,  the  bread  is  bad,  the  lodging  is  bad,  and 
everything  about  the  place  is  bad,  excepting  this  brandy,"  I 
added,  seizing  the  decanter,  pouring  myself  out  another  horn, 
and  tossing  it  down  my  throat. 

"  I  will  use  my  best  endeavors,  my  young  friend.  Nay,  I  will 
get  you  released!" 

"But  when,  sir?" 

"  To-night,  my  dear  young  friend,  if  you  follow  my  advice." 

"  All  right,  sir ;  I'm  ready  to  go  anytime." 

"Well,  that  looks  something  like  business,"  he  replied,  with  a 
disagreeable  smirk,  and  for  a  moment  pulled  his  fingers  till  he 
made  them  every  one  snap,  and  then  resumed.  "You  see,  Mr. 
Grimes,  money  can  do  wonders,  when  it  is  in  the  hands  of  a  wise 
and  discreet  person."  Stopping  for  a  moment,  he  furtively  re 
garded  me. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  I  replied ;    "  proceed,  sir." 

"Without  money  I  could  do  nothing,  absolutely  nothing  for 
you,  Mr.  Grimes." 

"  Certainly  not,  sir ;  but  pray  go  on." 

"Let  me  see,"  said  Mr.  Sedgewick,  drawing  towards  him  a 
sheet  of  paper,  and  picking  up  a  pen  he  dipped  it  delicately  into 
the  ink.  "  Ahem,"  he  exclaimed,  as  if  in  a  deep  study,  and  re 
iterating  the  words,  "  let  me  see,"  a  great  many  times,  he  finally 
commenced  muttering  to  himself,  as  he  made  a  suppositions  cal 
culation  on  the  paper.  "  He  must  have  $1,000."  At  the  same 
time  he  jotted  down  the  amount  on  the  piece  of  paper  before  him. 
"Yes,  nothing  less  would  do,"  he  murmured,  half  inarticulately. 
"  Then  there's  Tibbetts,"  he  muttered;  "but  I'll  cut  him  down  to 
$200.  Yes,  I  think  that  will  do,"  he  said,  in  an  absent  manner; 
then  turning  to  me,  whom  he'd  been  furtively  watching  during 
the  whole  of  this  little  by-play,  he  said,  "  My  dear  young  friend, 
it  will  require  $1,200  to  be  expended  on  the  outside,  in  order  to 
get  you  released.  Then  will  come  in  the  little  bill  of  Snipes  & 


300  "WANDEKINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

Sedgewick,  but  we  will  be  very  moderate  in  bur  charges  for 
managing  this  delicate  business,  my  dear  sir ;  we  will  put  the 
figures  down  at  $300 — very  low,  I  assure  you,  sir.  The  sum  re 
quired,  therefore,  is  $1,500,  a  small  item,  taking  into  considera 
tion  the  dangers  in  which  you  are  involved,  my  dear  young 
friend." 

"  But  I  haven't  got  so  much  money !" 

"Dear  me!  I  understood  you  were  exceedingly  rich.  How 
could  you  have  carried  on  a  faro-bank  unless  you  had  more  than 
$1,500?" 

"Well,  sir,  I  did  have  plenty  of  money,  but  I  have  lost  it.  My 
players  have  won  from  me  all  I  had,  with  the  exception  of  what 
was  taken  from  me  on  the  night  of  my  arrest." 

"Dear  me!  how  very  unfortunate.  With  less  than  $1,500  it 
would  be  quite  impossible  for  me  to  do  anything  for  you,  my 
dear  young  friend.  You  must  appeal  to  your  friends." 

"I  am  a  stranger,  and  have  no  friends  here,"  I  answered,  dog 
gedly. 

"  Dear  me !  and  those  persons  who  were  concerned  with  you 
in  the  gambling-house,  where  are  they  ?  " 

"  At  the  time  of  my  arrest  no  one  was  concerned  there  except 
myself.  Some  time  ago  an  old  fellow  was  with  me,  but  he's  sold 
out  to  me  and  gone  now." 

"  Don't  you  think,  my  dear  young  friend,  that  we  might  find 
him  ?  "  said  Sedgewick,  with  a  sly  smile. 

"  What !  and  place  him  in  my  situation  f  " 

"  By  no  means,  my  dear  young  friend,  but  to  come  down  with 
the  money  and  restore  you  to  liberty." 

"Not  he.  No!  We  quarreled  when  we  parted,  so  there's  no 
hope  in  that  quarter,  and  if  there  were,  I  should  never  know 
where  to  find  him." 

"  How  very  unfortunate.  I'm  sure  I  don't  know  how  I  can 
serve  you  unless  you  can  get  me  the  money." 

"  I  have  nothing  more  than  what  was  taken  from  me  on  the 
night  of  my  arrest  in  the  prison  here,  sir,"  I  replied. 

"  Dear  me,  how  unfortunate !  It  would  be  cruelty  to  abandon 
you  in  your  extremity  of  distress.  No.  no,  we  will  assist  you,  we 
will  assist  you,"  he  cried,  grasping  me  warmly  by  the  hand. 
"The  firm  of  Snipes  &  Sedgewick  will  save  you,  my. dear 
young  sir,"  and  while  giving  me  this  comforting  assurance  he- 
shook  me  energetically  by  the  hand. 


Uf  THE  LOCK-tr*.  301 

"I  shall  be  ever  most  grateful,  Mr.  Sedgewick,"  I  replied,  re 
turning  the  pressure  of  his  snaky  fingers. 

"Well,  then,"  he  continued,  "let  me  see  how  matters  stand 
now,"  picking  up  from  the  table,  where  he  had  dropped  them, 
his  pen  and  slip  of  paper.  "  It  is  absolutely  necessary  we  should 
have  $1,200  to  obtain  your  release.  After  the  accomplishment  of 
that,  the  firm  of  Snipes  &  Sedgewick  will  wait  for  their  fee,  my 
dear  young  friend,  until  such  a  time  as  it  may  be  convenient  for 
you  to  pay  it  to  them.  Now,  my  dear  sir,  how  much  money  have 
you  in  the  office  ?  " 

"  One  thousand  and  twenty- four  dollars."  The  amount  was 
immediately  set  down  on  the  paper  before  him  in  figures,  and  he 
inquired,  "What  else  f" 

"A  gold  watch,  sir." 

"Ah !  yes  j  valued  at  how  much,  now  ?  " 

"It  cost  me  $150." 

Mr.  Sedgewick  carefully  set  this  down  also  on  his  paper,  and 
inquired  what  other  property  I  possessed. 

"  A  set  of  faro-tools,  valued  at  $250,  sir." 

"What  else?"  he  asked,  with  his  eyes  still  on  the  paper  be 
fore  him. 

"  The  furniture  of  my  room,  worth  about  $200,"  I  rejoined. 

"  According  to  this  statement  you  have  in  money  and  property 
$1 ,624,"  said  the  affable  Sedgewick. 

"  But  we  couldn't  sell  the  property  at  any  such  price  as  that 
at  which  I've  valued  it,  Mr.  Sedgewick." 

"  I'm  aware  of  that,  but  you  would  rather  keep  your  property, 
would  you  not?" 

"  Certainly,  sir,  if  I  could  do  so." 

"  Well,  my  dear  young  sir,  the  firm  of  Snipes  &  Sedgewick 
will  keep  your  property  for  you,  and  advance  sufficient  money  to 
make  up  the  $1,200  which  you  require,"  said  Mr.  Sedgewick,  in 
his  most  insinuating  tone,  and  peering  at  me  over  the  tops  of  his 
glasses. 

"It's  very  generous  of  you,  sir!"  I  exclaimed. 

"Don't  mention  it !  Pray  don't  mention  it,  my  esteemed  young 
friend,"  said  the  delighted  Sedgewick. 

"Now, my  dear  young  sir,  as  we  have  come  to  a  friendly  un 
derstanding,  let  us  at  once  arrange  this  business.  We  must  all 
die  sometime  or  other,  and  it  is  customary  for  wise  men  to  set 


302  "WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

their  houses  in  order,  for  '  we  know  neither  the  day  nor  the 
hour,' "  quoted  the  pious  Sedgewick,  sanctimoniously  raising  his 
eyes  to  the  ceiling,  "so,  as  I  said  before,  it's  best  to  have  every 
thing,  in  order,  before  that  awful  moment  arrives  which  cuts  us 
off  from  every  hold  on  life."  This  was  delivered  with  a  doleful 
shake  of  the  head.  "Now,  sir,"  he  continued,  "I  will  advauce 
one  hundred  and  seventy-six  dollars  to  make  up  the  requisite 
twelve  hundred  dollars,  and  to  secure  the  firm  you  will  transfer 
to  it  such  property  as  you  have,  together  with  the  money,  etc., 
you  have  in  the  office,  which  can  be  effected  by  giving  me  an 
order  for  it  on  the  clerk.  And,  with  your  permission,  I'll  write 
out  the  order  and  you  can  sign  it,  and  after  you  have  done  so  I 
will  get  you  released  inside  of  fifteen  minutes." 

I  made  him  no  reply,  and  he  presently  placed  before  me  a  slip 
of  paper  on  which  he  had  written  the  "  order,"  and  presented 
me  the  pen  he  held  in  his  hand.  "Put  your  signature  there,  my 
dear  sir,"  pointing  to  the  spot  where  the  autograph  is  generally 
seeu  in  such  documents,  and  waited  for  me  to  place  my  name  to 
a  paper  that  would  give  to  a  parcel  of  blood-suckers  what  money 
and  other  property  I  had  in  the  possession  of  the  city  officials. 
I  took  the  offered  pen,  and  while  holding  it  in  my  fingers  care 
fully  read  the  instrument. 

"You  say  that  if  I  sign  this  I  shall  be  at  liberty  in  fifteen 
minutes !"  I  inquired,  looking  into  his  face. 

"  In  less  time,  my  dear  young  friend,"  answered  the  obsequious 
Sedgewick. 

"  But  if  you  take  everything  I  possess,  how  am  I  to  live  when 
released  from  prison,  sir  ?" 

"  Liberty,  my  dear  young  sir,  should  be  the  first  desire  of  man. 
Sign  first,  please,  and  you'll  find  afterwards  that  the  firm  of  Snipes 
&  Sedgewick  will  not  allow  one  of  its  clients  to  suffer  for  the  want 
of  a  few  dollars." 

"Indeed!"  I  said  with  a  sneer,  dashing  the  pen  down  on  tne 
floor,  and  rising  from  my  chair.  "The  firm  of  Snipes  &  Sedge 
wick,  and  the  scoundrels  they  are  jobbing  for,  will  find  I  am  not 
quite  such  a  fool  as  they  seem  to  have  imagined.  No,  sir !  I  shall 
not  sign  that  paper.  This  is  a  conspiracy  hatched  by  a  gang  of 
thieves  for  the  purpose  of  robbing  me,  and  you,  you  scoundrel, 
are  doing  the  dirty  work  of  the  party.  But  you've  made  a  grand 
mistake !  You've  failed,  Mr.  Sedgewick  1  I've  no  money  to  waste 


IN  THE  LOCK-TIP.  303 

on  black-mailers ;  but  I've  plenty  to  pay  honest  lawyers  to  pros 
ecute- the  thieves  who  have  kept  me  in  prison  four  days  without 
a  trial,  in  hopes  to  extort  from  me  my  money  and  other  property 
as  the  price  of  my  release,  instead  of  at  once  bringing  me  before 
the  Justice  for  examination,  as  it  was  their  duty  to  have  done." 

"  Dear  me !  dear  me !  how  very  ungrateful !"  gasped  Mr.  Sedge- 
wick,  aghast  at  the  totally  unexpected  turn  affairs  were  taking. 
"  I  am  astonished  to  hear  such  language  from  your  lips,  ungrate 
ful  boy — when  I  was  doing  my  best  to  keep  you  out  of  State's 
prison,  too.  Dear  me !" 

"You  had  better  direct  your  efforts  nearer  home,  and  keep 
yourself  out,  you  sleek-tougued  scoundrel!"  I  retorted. 

"I'll  make  you  repent  this,  you  impudent-tougued  puppy!" 
said  the  highly  indignant  and  exasperated  Sedgewick,  leaving  the 
room  and  slamming  the  door  behind  him. 

Nearly  an  hour  passed  before  any  one  entered  the  room.  At 
length,  the  person  who  had  brought  me  there  entered,  conducted 
me  to  my  cell,  and  locked  me  up. 

On  the  following  morning,  when  I  arose  from  my  bed  of  straw, 
the  sunbeams  were  brightly  dancing  on  the  stone  floor  of  my  cell. 
About  an  hour  afterwards  the  door  of  my  prison  was  unlocked 
and  I  was  bidden  to  come  forth,  and  was  again  conducted  to  the 
room  where  the  previous  evening  I  had  enjoyed  the  satisfaction 
of  seeing  the  redoubtable  Sedgewick  retire  discomfited. 

The  only  occupant  of  the  room  was  the  fiery-headed  Lieutenant 
who  had  arrested  me.  He  inquired  after  my  health  in  a  kind, 
but  patronizing  tone.  "  Grlad  to  see  you  looking  so  well,  Grimes; 
I  thought  you  might  have  some  appetite  this  morning,  so  I  sent 
for  you  to  breakfast  with  me." 

I  looked  upon  this  fellow  as  the  principal  cause  of  my  arrest, 
and  also  of  keeping  me  in  secret  confinement  with  the  direct 
purpose  of  robbing  me.  I  had  no  proof  of  my  suspicions,  or 
rather  presentiments,  that  he  was  the  tool  of  Phil  McGovern, 
who  I  did  not  for  a  moment  doubt  was  the  primary  cause  of  all 
my  troubles.  The  bold  front  I  had  shown  to  their  agent,  Sedge 
wick,  had  probably  convinced  them  that  they  had  a  more 
troublesome  customer  than  they  had  bargained  for.  The  invi 
tation  to  breakfast  satisfied  me  that  a  change  of  policy  had 
taken  place,  and  that  the  party  who  held  me  were  opening  their 
eyes  to  the  fact  that  they  had  on  their  hands  a  huge  elephant  in 


304  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

the  person  of  John  Grimes.  I  made  up  my  mind,  however,  to 
behave  quietly,  and  listen  to  whatever  my  red-headed  guardian 
should  say  to  me. 

I  thanked  him  for  his  invitation,  and  told  him  I  had  been 
whetting  my  appetite  for  the  last  four  days  in  order  to  do  just 
ice  to  his  breakfast. 

Without  making  me  any  reply,  he  rang  a  hand-bell  which  was 
upon  the  table,  and  it  was  answered  by  a  big  greasy  looking 
negro. 

"Breakfast  for  two,  Snowball!" 

•'Y-a-a-s,  sir,"  responded  Snowball,  standing  as  rigid  as  a 
post. 

"Well,  what  the  h — 1  are  you  standing  there  for?"  demanded 
the  Lieutenant. 

"What's  I  ter  fotch,  sir?"  responded  Snowball,  with  a  grin. 

"Anything!  Coffee,  mutton-chops,  eggs;  and  be  damn  quick 
about  it,  do  ye  hear?" 

'•'So  you  don't  like  old  Thompson's  grub,  eh?"  he  inquired, 
when  Snowball  had  closed  the  door  behind  him. 

"Who's  Thompson,  sir?" 

"The  prison  cook." 

"No,  sir !  I  should  have  preferred  to  have  had  my  meals  from 
the  outside,  but  I  was  not  allowed  to  do  so." 

"You  would  have  been,  though,  if  you  hadn't  been  so  infernal 
smart  with  that  tongue  o'  yourn  the  night  you  was  pulled." 

"Indeed!  I  was  not  aware  that  I  had  so  deeply  offended  my 
jailers  that  they  would  wish  to  starve  me  in  order  to  revenge 
themselves." 

"Look  here,  Grimes,  alias  Morris,  take  a  bit  ov  friendly 
advice,  and  when  you  get  your  head  in  the  lion's  mouth,  draw  it 
out  as  easy  as  ye  can,  or  yer  might  git  it  snapt  off.  And  while 
we're  waiting  for  breakfast,  I'll  just  take  the  opportunity  to  say 
I'm  d — n  sorry  I  was  forced  to  pull  you  the  other  night,  but  you 
see  as  how  there  was  several  complaints  made  to  the  Cap  about 
that  there  crib  o'  yourn,  and  in  course  he  had  to  notice  it  after 
awhile,  an'  he  ordered  me  to  pull  it.  I  ougbter  pulled  it  the 
night  o'  the  big  row,  if  only  to  save  you  from  being  murdered  by 
the  friends  of  Mooney  and  Delancy.  How  could  you  expect  to 
last,  an'  have  a  'muss'  in  yer  crib  every  night?  Now  do  you 
take  a  hint,  an'  git  away  from  this  burgh  as  fast  as  yer  can. 


IN  THE  LOCK-UP.  305- 

Don't  you  be  a  fool !  You've  made  enemies  here  that  don't  for 
get  nor  forgive  nothin',  an'  they're  powerful  here,  an'  the  worst 
set  o'  men  iu  the  city.  I'm  advisin'  yer  fur  yer  good,  an'  if  yer 
don't  take  it,  yer  friends  may  find  yer  missin'  some  fine  day." 

"  Then  you're  going  to  discharge  me  ?  " 

"Yes,  I  shan't  make  any  complaint  agin  yer;  I  didn't  want 
ter  du  it,  an'  I've  asked  the  Cap  ter  let  yer  go,  an'  he's  done  it." 

"Who  were  the  persons  who  complained  against  my  'crib,'  as 
you  call  it?" 

"We  never  answer  such  questions  as  them,  youngster,  and 
the  least  said  about  the  matter  is  the  soonest  mended.  I'll  give 
yer  your  money  and  watch,  if  you  promise  me  faithful,  you'll 
leave  the  city  to-day." 

"What  have  you  done  with  my  faro-tools,  and  the  furniture?" 

"All  gambling  appurtenances,  wherever  found,  are  confiscated 
by  the  laws  of  the  State." 

"Not  until  after  conviction,  I  believe,  and  then  the  power  of 
confiscation  lies  in  a  Judge  of  one  of  the  upper  courts,"  I  said,  in 
an  uuimpassioued  voice. 

"Yer  want  to  teach  me  the  law,  do  yer?  Now  you  take  what's 
offered  yer,  and  be  damn  thankful  you've  got  off  so  easy." 

"I'm  sorry  to  say,  Lieutenant,  that  I  don't  feel  in  the  least; 
thankful  for  your  offer,  nor  shall  I  accept  it.  Now,  let  us  under 
stand  each  other  perfectly.  Your  'pulling'  me,  as  you  term  it, 
I  am  perfectly  satisfied  was  a  put-up  job  between  yourself  and 
McGoveru,  because  I  did  not  choose  to  be  black-mailed  into 
giving  him  an  interest  into  my  game,  where  he  had  not  put 
in  a  single  cent  of  money.  He  wanted  to  break  up  my  game, 
and  have  me  robbed  by  you.  You  joined  him,  nothing  loth. 
You  have  broken  up  my  game,  but  you  shan't  rob  me  out  of  one 
single  cent,  if  I  can  help  it.  You  had  one  of  your  'Shysters' 
here  in  this  room  last  night,  trying  to  scare  me  into  giving  him 
an  order  for  my  money  and  property.  He  failed,  and  that 
should  have  satisfied  you  that  I  am  not  going  to  suffer  myself 
to  be  robbed  so  easily.  You  are  anxious  for  me  to  leave  the 
city  I  am  perfectly  aware  why  you  are  so,  and  am  also  willing 
to  accommodate  you,  because  I  don't  like  trouble,  and  don't  care 
about  distributing  my  money  to  lawyers,  if  I  can  get  along  with 
out  it.  But  if  you  keep  back  from  me  one  cent's  worth,  which 
is  mine,  I'll  spend  every  dollar  I  possess,  trying  to  bring  you 


306  "WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

and  those  concerned  with  you,  to  punishment,  for  falsely  im 
prisoning  me !  Now,  will  you  give  me  my  property  or  not?" 

"I'm  only  here  to  obey  the  Cap's  orders,"  he  answered,  gruff 
ly,  "and  I  can't  do  nothing  only  what  he  tells  me  to." 

"Then,  Lieutenant,  it's  entirely  useless  for  us  two  to  have  any 
further  conversation  on  this  subject."  I  had  barely  finished 
when  Snowball  made  his  appearance  with  the  breakfast  tray  on 
his  head.  In  silence  we  ate  it,  although  the  negro  was  ordered 
from  the  room  as  soon  as  he  had  arranged  it  on  the  table.  I 
thought  my  man  was  anxious  I  should  resume  the  conversation, 
but  I  felt  in  no  way  disposed  to  gratify  him.  When  he  had  fin 
ished  his  meal,  he  arose  from  the  table,  lit  a  cigar,  and  after 
giving  five  or  six  savage  whiffs,  he  again  turned  to  me  and  said, 
in  a  pompous  tone,  "Grimes,  I  did  want  to  get  you  out  of  this 
scrape,  as  easy  as  possible,  but  you're  as  obstinate  as  a  mule, 
and  there's  no  use  talking  to  you." 

"  Not  the  least,  Lieutenant ;  I've  told  you  what  I  wanted,  and 
what  I  would  do,  and  you  can  accept  or  reject  it,  just  as  you 
like,"  I  said,  in  the  same  unimpassioned  voice  as  I  had  all  along 
conducted  the  interview. 

"What  the  h — 1  do  yer  expect  to  do  about  it,  if  yer  don't  git 
yer  things  ?  "  he  demanded,  in  a  voice  choked  with  passion. 

"  That's  my  business,"  I  replied. 

"You're  a  d — n  fool.  You'd  fight  the  police,  eh?  C 1! 

Who  the  h — 1  is  going  to  listen  to  the  complaints  of  a  dirty 
blackleg!" 

"I  don't  know,  but  I'll  try  and  see  if  the  police  are  allowed 
first  to  break  into  a  man's  premises  without  the  warrant  of  a 
magistrate,  then  arrest  a  man,  and  keep  him  in  prison  day  after 
day,  without  preferring  any  charges  against  him,  for  the  purpose 
of  robbing  him  of  his  money  and  valuables." 

"Now  look  here,  youngster!  don't  let  that  there  tongue  o' 
yourn  wag  too  strong.  Enny  more  o'  your  sass,  an'  I'll  send  yer 
back  to  yer  cell,  an'  leave  yer  there  till  ye're  fergot ! '' 

"I  fear  your  threats  as  little  as  I  esteem  your  advice,"  I 
retorted. 

His  red  face  ablaze  with  anger,  and  the  gleam  of  hate  that 
shone  in  the  ruffian's  eyes,  showed  me  plainly  that  the  villain's 
fingers  were  itching  to  be  at  my  throat.  But  I  was  perfectly 
tranquil,  and  satisfied  that  my  property  would  be  restored  to  me. 


IN  THE  LOCK-UP.  307 

Eager  as  I  was  for  revenge  upon  those  who  had  broken  up  my 
business,  and  caused  me  to  be  imprisoned,  I  was  perfectly  aware 
of  the  obstacles  I  had  to  encounter  if  I  tried  to  carry  out  my 
scheme.  Any  trumped-up  charge  might  be  brought  on,  and  a 
dozen  suborned  witnesses  procured,  who  would  swear  to  its 
truth.  I  was  fully  cognizant  of  the  dangers  which  stared  me  in 
the  face  when  I  declared  war  on  the  police,  and  was  well  con 
tent  to  leave  the  city  and  its  dangers  and  quicksands,  if  I  could 
get  back  my  property.  It  was,  with  me,  a  matter  of  pride,  that 
I  should  not  let  my  enemies  triumph  over  me  so  much  as  to  get 
my  money  and  valuables ;  and  I  verily  believe,  at  that  time,  I 
would  sooner  have  lost  every  cent  I  was  possessed  of,  in  the  ordi 
nary  way  of  play,  than  be  black-mailed  out  of  a  single  dollar  by 
these  scoundrels.  I  well  knew  the  McGovernites  would  not  fail  to 
do  me  an  ill  turn  whenever  it  might  be  in  their  power,  on  account 
of  the  warm  reception  I  had  gotten  up  for  their  benefit;  but 
their  enmity  I  cared  but  very  little  about,  but  when  united  with 
the  machinations  of  a  powerful  and  unscrupulous  police,  who 
had  already  injured  me,  and  who  knew  I  was  willing,  if  not  able, 
to  retaliate  upon  them  for  the  wrongs  which  I  had  suffered  at 
their  hands,  I  was  satisfied  that  my  presence  in  New  York  city 
•was  fraught  with  danger  to  myself,  and  the  sooner  I  left  the  place, 
the  better. 

When  the  Lieutenant  had  allowed  his  temper  to  cool  down  a 
little,  he  told  me  he  should  send  me  back  to  my  cell  until  he  had 
consulted  with  his  Cap,  as  he  termed  him,  relative  to  my  affairs. 
Accordingly,  a  bell  was  rung,  and  I  was  again  delivered  over  to 
my  jailer,  and  put  under  lock  and  key.  The  clock  was  striking 
one  as  I  was  once  more  brought  into  the  room,  and  the  presence 
of  the  red-headed  Lieutenant.  "Well,  Grimes!"  he  said,  "the 
Cap's  consented  to  give  you  all  your  things,  provided  you  leave 
the  city  to-night." 

"  But  I  cannot !  I  must  sell  my  furniture  before  I  go,"  I  said, 
coolly. 

"  How  much  do  you  want  for  it?  " 

"Two  hundred  dollars." 

"  Then  I'll  give  you  a  hundred." 

"No,  sir!  The  sideboard  alone  cost  that  amount;  but  to 
facilitate  matters,  I'll  take  a  hundred  and  fifty." 

"  Very  well !    I'll  give  it,"  and  seizing  a  pen,  he  made  a  bill 


WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

of  sale  of  my  furniture,  which  he  pushed  over  to  me,  and  ordered 
me  to  sign  it.  I  did  so,  after  I  had  read  it  over  carefully.  He 
then  handed  me  the  sum  agreed  upon,  $150.  "Now,  sir, 
which  way  are  you  going  to  travel  ? "  he  inquired,  with  some 
appearance  of  interest. 

"  To  Richmond,"  I  answered. 

"There's  a  boat  leaves  for  Richmond  at  four  o'clock  this 
afternoon.  I'll  have  a  carriage  to  come  for  you  in  ample  time." 

"But  there's  my  baggage  at  the  hotel,  and  my  bill  there, 
which  I  must  see  paid,"  I  cried. 

"I'll  attend  to  that,  if  you'll  give  me  an  order  for  your 
baggage." 

-  "Several  articles  of  my  clothing  are  hanging  round  my  room, 
and  all  my  things  are  in  more  or  less  confusion.  I  must  attend 
to  them,  and  pack  my  trunk  myself." 

"You  can't  go!''  he  said,  in  a  determined  tone.  "Give  me 
an  order,  and  I'll  get  all  that  belongs  to  you,  every  article,  and 
have  them  brought  to  this  room." 

I  did  as  he  ordered  me,  and  in  something  less  than  an  hour's 
time  my  baggage,  complete  in  every  respect,  arrived.  When 
I  had  expressed  myself  satisfied,  he  brought  me  my  watch  and 
money,  and  after  I  had  given  him  a  receipt,  as  he  desired  me, 
he  asked  me  if  I  had  any  more  commands.  I  told  him  that,  on 
our  way  to  the  boat,  I  wished  to  call  at  the  Bank  of  North 
America.  He  promised  to  do  so,  though  some  distance  out  of 
our  way.  He  then  brought  my  kit  of  faro-tools,  which  were 
packed  in  my  valise.  I  arranged  all  my  belongings  to  my  satis 
faction,  and  then  signified  to  my  red-headed  friend  that  I  was 
ready  to  emigrate.  Without  making  me  any  reply,  he  shook  his 
hand-bell,  and  Snowball  appeared  in  answer  to  the  summons. 
Take  this  trunk  and  other  baggage,  and  put  it  on  the  carriage 
at  the  door.  When  Snowball  had  duly  performed  this  duty, 
he  turned  to  me  with  a  gruff  "  Come  along."  When  we  got  to 
the  door  I  saw  a  carriage,  and  my  plunder  stowed  away  round 
the  driver's  legs.  "  Get  in ! "  said  the  Lieutenant,  holding  the 
door  in  his  hand.  I  did  so.  He  then  whispered  a  few  words  to 
the  coachman,  and  then  followed  me  into  the  carriage ;  and  in  a 
moment  more  we  were  rolling  over  the  city  pavements  at  a 
rapid  pace. 

"Have  you  ordered  the  driver  to  stop  at  the  Bank  of  North 


IN  THE  LOCK-UP.  309 

America  f '  I  inquired  after  we  had  gotteu  fairly  under  way.  He 
nodded,  laid  back  on  his  seat,  and  spoke  not  a  word  until  we 
drew  up  before  the  bank. 

"Here's  the  bank,  be  quick !"  he  said  to  me. 

A  few  moments  sufficed  for  me  to  draw  up  a  check  for  the 
amount.  I  had  deposited.  When  I  had  received  my  money,  -and 
again  entered  the  carriage,  the  Lieutenant  sung  out,  "  To  the  boat, 
Holmes!"  Not  another  word  passed  the  lips  of  either  till  the 
lauding  was  reached.  My  luggage  having  been  put  aboard,  I 
consulted  my  watch,  and  found  we  had  at  least  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  before  the  steamer  would  leave.  I  made  my  way  to  the 
after-cabin,  and,  to  my  vexation  and  annoyance,  I  discovered  my 
red-headed  guardian  still  at  my  heels.  "  You  don't  intend  to 
travel  with  me,  I  suppose  ?"  I  said,  testily. 

"  No !"  answered  my  tormentor,  with  the  utmost  calmness,  "  but 
I'll  keep  my  eye  on  you  till  the  boat  starts."  He  took  a  step  to 
wards  me,  put  his  hand  on  the  collar  of  my  coat,  and  whispered 
in  my  ear,  "  Don't  you  ever  come  into  this  city  again,  youngster, 
or  it  won't  be  healthy  for  ye." 

"  Neither  you  nor  your  dirty  clique  own  New  York,"  I  replied, 
defiantly,  "  and  I  will  come  here  when  I  please,  in  spite  of  you." 

"Will  you,  though?"  he  hissed  in  my  ear.  "If  I  ever  catch 
you  here,  I'll  send  you  up  the  river,  remember  that."  He  van* 
ished  from  my  side,  and  in  a  few  moments  we  were  steaming 
down  the  bay  of  New  York.  Neither  of  my  valiant  guardians, 
Kline  or  Jones,  nor  yet  -Chapin,  did  I  ever  see  again  since  the 
eventful  night  of  my  arrest  by  the  red-headed  Lieutenant.  Neither 
did  I  ever  hear  of  my  servant  who  waited  on  the  door,  and  to 
whom  I  owed  a  few  days'  wages.  McGovern  was  killed  in  the 
summer  of  1857  in  one  of  the  rows  between  the  Plug-Uglies  and 
the  Dead-Rabbits.  For  the  relief  of  decent  people  he  did  not  die 
a  moment  too  soon. 


310  WANDEIUNGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

CHAPTER    XX  V. 

BOXERS. 

We  are  indebted  to  England  for  many  noble  pastimes,  and 
none  stands  more  prominent  among  them  than  that  of  the  prize- 
ring.  At  what  period  this  manly  sport  first  became  fashionable 
among  the  Britishers,  I  am  unable  to  say — I  doubt  if  they  can 
themselves — and  I  have  never  yet  enjoyed  the  acquaintance  of  a 
single  prize-fighter  whose  historical  recollections  went  beyond 
his  own  first  appearance  in  the  ring,  either  as  second  or  prin 
cipal.  That  the  prize-ring  has  been  for  more  than  three  cen 
turies  a  favorite  sport  among  the  English,  is  unquestionable.  It 
has  been  patronized  by  the  patrician  and  the  plebeian,  and  those 
of  gentle  blood  have  frequently  "  shucked  themselves,"  and  con 
tended  with  the  peasant  for  the  honors  of  the  ring.  It  is  true 
that  this  sport  has  had  opponents  in  England,  as  well  as  in  this 
country.  Strange  as  it  may  appear,  men  have  been  so  insane  as 
to  declare  the  manly  art  brutal  and  demoralizing,  and  statesmen 
in  England  have  at  different  periods  endeavored  to  suppress  it  by 
act  of  Parliament;  but  the  besotted  prejudices  of  such  old  fogies 
were  condemned,  as  they  deserved,  by  the  almost  unanimous 
voice  of  the  people.  No  statesman  has  ever  made  himself  popu 
lar  among  the  English  by  advocating  the  destruction  of  any  of 
their  national  sports.  Within  the  last  thirty  years  the  prize- 
ring  has  not  only  lost  much  of  its  pristine  purity,  but  has  fallen 
into  discredit,  and  from  the  once  proud  position  it  held  in  the 
hearts  of  the  people  of  Great  Britain.  While  in  London,  I  heard 
a  veteran  of  the  ring  bewail  the  degeneracy  of  the  times  some 
what  in  the  following  strain:  "  Why,  blarst  it,  when  I  was  a  lad 
a  prize-fighter  wus  a  nobby  cove ;  the  swells  wus  his  pals,  an' 
he'd  blunt  by  the  fist-fulls.  Why,  when  a  pair  o'  well  matched 
coves  went  hiuter  trainin'  for  a  battle,  ye'd  see  the  nobs  drivin' 
to  the  trainin'-ground,  with  their  tandems,  hand  their  coaches 
an'  four's,  just  as  if  they  were  goin'  to  receive  some  blarsted 
furrin  prince.  Hevery  day  the  papers  would  be  looked  hinter  the 
first  thing,  ter  find  out  in  what  condition  the  men  stood,  and 
what  price  they  were  backed  at.  Damn  it,  if  'twar  a  run  for  the 
Darby  the  bookmakin'  couldn't  be  'eavier,  or  more  excitiu'. 


BOXJSKS.  311 

When  the  day  o'  battle  comes,  there  was  no  sneakin'  round  ter 
git  rid  o'  ther  peelers.  The  noosepapers  told  the  people  where 
the  battle  would  come  off;  'twas  a  free  blow  to  heverybody,  hand 
them  as  couldn't  ride  would  walk  to  the  grounds,  hand  room 
wus  made  fur  heverybody  to  see  the  sport.  On  the  ground 
would  be  the  nobility  hand  the  gentry  hiu  their  coaches,  hand 
hamong  'em  you'd  see  ladies  with  their  'ands  full  o'  bank-notes 
hand  guineas,  back  in'  their  man,  same  as  the  swells.  Blarst  it ! 
hit  makes  a  man  feel  young  again,  ter  think  o'  the  good  old  times. 
None  o'  yer  blarsted  swell-mobs  broke  up  the  ring  then  if  their 
coves  couldn't  win,  none  o'  yer  bloody  duffers  wus  chosen  fur  re 
ferees  ;  but  blooded  gentlemen,  the  first  hin  the  laud,  who'd  see 
the  best  man  win.  But  look  at  the  blarsted  mills  the  blaggards 
git  up  now-a-days !  Blarst  it,  they're  bloody  'umbugs !  Two 
coves  his  matched,  ha  great  blow  his  made  habout  it  when  they're 
trainin'  fur  battle.  The  sportiu'  papers  his  squared  to  blow  up 
the  men  an'  the  match;  the  honest  patrons  o'  the  ring  his  told 
that  the  ground  hand  the  day  o'  battle  must  be  kept  secret,  cos 
why  ?  the  peelers  will  break  up  the  mill.  Three  or  four  nights 
before  it's  ter  take  place,  tickets  is  sold  fur  a  place  hon  the  ground 
hand  hin  the  railroad-car,  hat  one,  two,  three,  or  four  soverings 
apiece.  A  train  o-  cars  his  'ired  to  take  the  spectators  ter  the 
ground,  baud  when  hit  gets  a  mile  or  so  outside  o'  Lunnon  hit 
stops,  hand  they  hare  hinformed  there's  no  fight,  cos  the  peelers 
'as  pulled  the  coves.  Hif  they  hask  their  blunt  back,  they  gits 
a  laugh  for  their  pains.  The  whole  thing  his  a  bloody  'umbug 
from  first  to  last.  Heven  the  blarsted  peelers  his  squared  to  pull 
the  coves.  Hif  hits  an  honest  mill  hits  broke  hup  hin  a  row  be 
fore  the  bloody  duffers  as  backs  the  thrashed  cove  will  give  up 
their  blunt.  No  gentleman  ought  ter  go  ter  one  o'  their  blarsted 
mills;  hif  he  does  -'es  robbed,  cos  hall  the  thieves  hand  pick 
pockets  o'  Lunnon's  there." 

We  Americans  have  always  been  a  fighting  people ;  if  lead  or 
steel  has  not  been  brought  into  action,  the  combatants  have 
gone  at  each  other  rough-and-tumble,  kick,  strike,  punch,  bite, 
scratch  or  gouge,  all  of  which  were  considered  fair.  To  assist 
in  the  polishing  of  these  rough  traits  in  our  character,  England 
has  at  divers  times  sent  us  over  professors  in  the  manly  art  of 
self-defense.  At  first,  these  honorable  parties  confined  their  ex 
ertions  to  the  large  cities  on  our  seaboard.  Their  schools  and  • 


312  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

sparring  exhibitions  were  liberally  patronized  by  the  English, 
•Irish,  and  Scotch  element  in  our  population,  and  also  by  sailors. 
At  first,  our  roughs  viewed  these  innovations  of  new-fangled 
fighting  arrangements  with  scorn  and  contempt,  very  much  as 
wild  animals  might  regard  fire-arms  before  learning  to  dread 
them.  But  a  rough-and-tumble  bully  soon  discovered  himself 
at  a  great  disadvantage,  when  faced  by  a  shoulder-hitter  who 
could  score  one  on  his  nob  once  a  minute  and  coolly  step  out  of 
the  reach  of  punishment  himself.  What  he  at  first  despised  he 
was  now  eager  to  seek,  and  the  boxer  became  his  preceptor  also. 
But  the  labors  of  these  professors  were  not  confined  to  the  im 
provement  of  the  rowdy  element.  Men  of  respectability,  wealth, 
and  even  refinement,  became  their  pupils.  In  order  to  give  a 
nobler  tone  to  this  science,  the  ring,  which,  until  1830,  had  been 
in  the  hands  of  sailors  and  the  lower  classes  of  the  foreign  ele 
ment  in  the  population,  was  brought  forward  for  the  entertain 
ment  of  a  more  respectable,  if  not  more  enlightened  class.  Those 
who  had  established  their  fame  in  the  prize-ring  of  Great  Britain 
flocked  to  this  country  to  enlighten  its  inhabitants  in  the  art  of 
self-defense.  Of  these  gladiators  the  Irish  were  perhaps  the  best, 
and  certainly  the  most  numerous ;  and  when  two  of  these  were 
matched  for  a  mill  it  generally  came  off  as  quietly  as  a  prize-fight 
can  ever  be  expected  to  come  off.  But  let  an  Irishraam  be  pit 
ted  against  a  Scotchman  or  Englishman,  and  a  row  was  pretty 
generally  the  result;  invariably,  if  it  so  happened  he  could  not 
hold  his  own  against  his  adversary — the  clannish  disposition  of 
the  Irish  forbidding  them  to  see  one  of  their  countrymen  lose 
the  fight  for  the  want  of  a  little  "heeling  and  tapping."  Many 
noted  English  prize-fighters  have  tried  their  fortunes  against 
those  of  Irish  birth,  in  the  rings  of  this  country,  almost  invaria 
bly  to  meet  with  humiliating  defeat.  Knowing  they  could  ex 
pect  neither  friendship  nor  fair  dealing  from  the  Irish,  they  sought 
sympathy  of  the  American  roughs,  and  chose  for  their  colors  the 
.  national  stars  and  stripes ;  but  their  adopted  banner  could  not 
save  them  from  throwing  up  the  sponge  before  the  green  sham 
rock.  The  partisan  and  domineering  spirit  shown  by  the  Irish 
at  all  ring-fights,  where  one  of  their  countrymen  was  a  cham 
pion,  and  their  unmanly  disposition  towards  foul  play,  had  a 
tendency  to  combine  against  them  the  rough  element  of  all  other 
. nationalities,  uud  in  this. manner  were  created  two  rival  factions 


BOXERS.  313 

in  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  and  to  some  extent  in  Boston. 
Had  these  rowdy  partisans  settled  their  disputes  in  the  prize- 
ring,  instead  of  in  drinkiug-saloous  and  around  polling-booths, 
the  cities  named  would  have  escaped  many  of  the  bloody  and 
disgraceful  scenes  which  they  witnessed.  But  it  seems  to  have 
been  destined  otherwise;  when  local  politics  marshaled  the 
hostile  rowdy  factious  into  their  ranks,  from  that  moment  the 
prize-ring  became  a  political  power,  and  one  of  the  established 
institutions  of  the  country.  These  factions  were  Ireland  and 
Young  America  in  the  ring.  At  first,  in  politics,  Democrats  and 
Native  Americans,  and  when  the  Know  Nothing  banner  was  flung 
to  the  breeze,  "Dead -Babbits"  and  " Plug-Uglies."  Deep  and 
sore  was  the  humiliation  of  Young  America  that  she  could  not, 
from  her  own  soil,  produce  a  hero  capable  of  maintaining  her 
supremacy  in  the  prize-ring.  The  champions  of  her  adoption 
were  entirely  of  foreign  birth,  and  from  a  country  which  she  de 
spised  and  hated ;  even  these  had  proven  failures.  The  jeers  of 
her  hated  foes  rankled  deeply  in  her  breast.  When  it  came  to 
combats  on  the  brick-bat,  slung-shot,  "  knock-down  and  drag- 
out"  principle,  her  champions  could  "whale  blazes"  out  of  the 
"  Micks,"  but  in  a  forty  foot  ring  they  found -'themselves  no 
where.  We  had  a  tremendous  country,  we  had  the  largest 
lakes,  swamps,  and  rivers,  the  biggest  forests  and  tallest  timber ; 
we  raised  the  most  corn,  cotton,  tobacco,  and  pumpkins ;  built 
the  best  and  fastest  ships,  and  could  man  them  with  sailors  able 
to  whip  all  creation ;  we  had  the  largest  hotels  and  steamboats, 
and  the  largest  railroads,  and  blew  up  and  smashed  up  more 
people  than  all  the  world  beside ;  we  had  the  best  military  acad 
emy  on  earth,  the  finest  schools  and  colleges,  better  preachers, 
abler  statesmen,  and  more  eloquent  orators ;  and  the  Englisher 
always  said,  "you  know,"  we  had  the  cleverest  rascals,  and  more 
of  them  than  any  country  on  the  face  of  the  globe.  But  as  John 
Bull  has  always  been  somewhat  jealous  of  us,  any  of  his  state 
ments  regarding  us  should  be  taken  with  the  proverbial  "  grain 
of  salt."  But  notwithstanding  all  the  blessings  showered  upon 
up  by  an  indulgent  Providence,  we  were  denied  a  first-class 
bruiser  to  sustain  our  honor  in  the  prize-ring,  and  like  Haman  of 
old,  "  all  this  availed  as  nothing  while  Mordecai  sat  at  the  king's 
gate ; "  and  if  it  was  intended  as  a  punishment  for  our  trans 
gressions  we  certainly  felt  the  infliction  keenly.  But  at  length 


314  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

the  days  of  our  mourning  were  ended,  and  a  champion  arose 
•whose  prowess  redeemed  his  country's  fame.  The  hero  was  no 
whitewashed  American,  but  one  who  sprung  from  the  soil,  and  of 
an  unblemished  pedigree.  Tom  Hyer,  in  the  spring  of  1849, 
restored  our  long  tarnished  fame  by  suitably  pummeliug 
Yankee  Sullivan  in  a  forty  foot  ring.  The  latter  was  the  victor 
of  a  dozen  battles,  and  one  of  the  best  light-weight  pugilists  in 
the  world. 

American  vanity  claims  that  Burgoyne's  surrender  at  Sara 
toga  was  one  of  the  fifteen  decisive  battles  of  the  world.  His 
torians  tell  us  that  it  brought  more  hope  and  joy  to  the  de 
sponding  patriots  than  any  other  battle  of  the  Revolution.  It 
sent  a  thrill  of  exultation  throughout  the  struggling  laud,  which 
was  only  equaled  when  the  electric  news  flashed  over  the 
wires,  that  the  heroic  Thomas  had,  in  a  battle  of  seventeen 
rounds,  pounded  the  celebrated  "  Yankee  Sullivan"  nearly  out 
of  all  semblance  to  humanity.  The  victory  was  regarded  in  the 
light  of  a  new  leaf  added  to  our  national  laurels,  by  thousands 
who  would  not  countenance  a  prize-fighter  nor  adorn  a  "mill" 
with  their  presence.  It  is  true,  it  was  believed  by  many  that 
Sullivan  ''threw  off"  the  fight,  but  "  kickers"  will  be  found  in 
every  country.  For  the  first  time  in  the  annals  of  the  country, 
New  York  city  had  produced  a  celebrity — a  Hyer !  who  had  re 
deemed  his  country,  not  exactly  from  the  chains  of  a  tyrant, 
but  from  what  entitled  him  to  certainly  as  much  gratitude,  the 
vile  reproaches  of  insulting  foreigners,  that  we  were  unable  to 
produce  a  thorough-bred  boxer  on  our  own  soil.  To  Young 
America  he  was  the  beau  ideal  of  all  that  was  great  and  noble, 
the  finest  gentleman  in  the  laud,  and  "could  whip  any  d — d  fur- 
rin  scoundrel  that  could  be  imported."  He  became  a  sort  of 
deity;  but,  like  many  of  those  of  the  fabulous  ages,  he  lacked  all 
the  attributes.  He  had  neither  brains  nor  education  sufficient 
to  make  him  a  political  leader,  when  his  popularity  might  have 
carried  him.  He  squandered  the  money  lavished  upon  him  by 
his  admirers,  with  a  reckless  hand,  until  he  became  a  burden 
upon  them,  when  they  shook  him  off.  He  tried  to  replenish  his 
revenues  by  terrorizing  over  certain  gamblers  of  New  York. 
Some  of  these  for  a  while  submitted  to  his  extortions ;  but 
others  would  not  give  him  thftr  money,  nor  submit  to  have  their 
games  broken  up,  unless  he  was  disposed  to  go  up  against  lead, 


BOXERS.  315 

or  cold  steel — articles  held  in  wholesome  awe,  invariably,  by  your 
muscle  expounder.  He  finally  died  in  a  state  of  destitution,  in 
1864,  and  was  buried  by  tbe  cbarity  of  his  friends. 

For  several  years  before  Hyer's  victory  over  Sullivan,  the 
prize-ring  was  a  political  power.  Upon  the  fighter  who  estab 
lished  his  reputation  in  the  ring,  were  showered  wealth  and 
honors.  Being  too  ignorant  in  all  cases  to  fill  any  sort  of  office, 
they  were  usually  presented  by  their  admirers  with  a  gorgeous 
driukiug-saloou,  which  became  the  general  resort  of  all  rowdies 
of  whichever  faction  was  so  fortunate  as  to  enroll  them  under 
its  banner.  In  this  manner  did  the  prize-fighter  find  "great 
ness  thrust  upon  him,"  and  became  prominent  as  a  ward  poli 
tician.  Aspirants  for  political  favor  sought  his  society,  and 
both  by  flattery  and  bribes  courted  his  political  influence,  and 
woe  to  the  unlucky  candidate  who  refused  to  do  so,  or  in  any 
manner  expressed  his  disapprobation  of  the  P.  R. ;  he  very  shortly 
found  himself  compelled  to  take  a  back  seat.  The  result  of  this 
was  that  the  city  offices  were  filled  with  none  but  the  ignorant 
and  the  corrupt;  men  who  had  only  the  twofold  object,  to  assist 
their  friends  politically,  and  to  enrich  themselves  at  the  expense 
of  the  citizens.  Had  the  two  factions  coalesced  instead  of  split 
ting  up  into  parties  bitterly  jealous  of  each  other's  power,  the 
wealth  and  power  of  the  city  had  been  prostrate  under  its  feet. 
But  fortunately  for  the  citizens,  it  split  into  two  factious,  and 
very  turbulent  ones.  Both  had  their  fashionable  head-quarters 
as  well  as  their  newspapers,  which  kept  the  people  at  large  post 
ed  up  with  regard  to  each  match  that  was  made,  the  course  of 
training  underwent  by  the  respective  champions,  as  well  as  their 
biographies,  in  which  their  virtues  and  the  important  services 
they  had  rendered  to  the  prize-ring  were  duly  recorded.  Re 
porters  belonging  to  the  most  respectable  papers  were  on  hand, 
as  well  as  artists  with  their  pencils,  to  transmit  to  posterity  the 
most  insignificant  incident  of  the  fight,  from  the  building  of  the 
ring  to  the  throwing  up  of  the  sponge.  Whenever  one  of  the  illus 
trious  lights  of  the  P.  R.  died,  or,  as  more  frequently  happened, 
was  killed,  the  remains  of  the  illustrious  hero  would  be  followed 
to  its  last  resting  place  by  a  splendid  funeral  cortege,  accom 
panied  by  bands  of  music,  with  muffled  drums;  all  the  gin-shops, 
coffee-houses,  and  sometimes  the  public  buildings,  were  draped 
in  black.  A  stranger  arriving  in  the  city,  and  seeing  this  "  pomp 


316  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

and  circumstance,"  would  naturally  suppose  that  the  nation 
mourned  one  of  her  most  illustrious  and  honored  sons. 

The  Mexican  war  afforded  some  slight  relief  to  the  cities  of 
New  York,  Boston,  Philadelphia,  and  New  Orleans,  by  freeing 
them  of  some  of  their  rowdies.  Boston  sent  out  to  Mexico  one 
regiment  of  her  roughs,  Philadelphia  two,  while  New  York  sent 
one  to  join  the  army  under  General  Scott,  and  another  to  Cali 
fornia.  New  Orleans  sent  two  six  months  regiments,  but  they 
were  disbanded  after  a  two  months'  residence  in  the  swamps  of 
the  Rio  Grande,  with  the  exception  of  those  among  them  -whose 
bones  were  laid  there  by  disease.  On  the  whole,  not  more  than 
one-half  of  those  sent  out  ever  returned  to  their  homes ;  the 
remainder  either  having  been  killed  in  battle,  or  died  from 
diseases  peculiar  to  the  country.  The  next  drain  upon  the 
"rough"  element  in  our  large  cities,  was  the  California  excite 
ment  ;  but  with  the  growth  of  these  cities,  particularly  New 
York  and  Philadelphia,  increased  the  rowdy  element,  which, 
until  the  commencement  of  our  civil  war,  held  the  political 
power.  That  event  not  only  greatly  thinned  out  those  gentry, 
but  almost  entirely  destroyed  their  ruffianly  rule.  New  Orleans 
sent  at  least  fifteen  hundred  of  the  worst  hell-hounds  that  ever 
disgraced  humanity,  to  the  Confederate  armies  in  Virginia  and 
Arkansas ;  and  Louisville  sent  as  many  as  five  hundred  of  her 
Plug-Uglies  to  fight  for  the  Confederacy,  and  Baltimore  fur 
nished  more  than  one  thousand ;  but  these  last,  instead  of  seizing 
their  muskets  and  "  dying  in  the  last  ditch,"  became  spies  and 
informers.  On  the  first  call  "to  arms,"  Philadelphia  sent  five  or 
six  regiments  of  roughs  down  into  Virginia;  those  among  them 
•who  escaped  the  ravages  of  disease,  and  the  battle,  returned 
homo  after  being  mustered  out  of  a  three  years'  service,  and 
could  never  be  induced  to  enlist  afterwards.  Since  their  return 
they  vote  the  Democratic  ticket  to  a  man,  which  enables  them 
to  almost  control  the  city  government.  When  the  news  of  the 
bombardment  of  Fort  Surater  reached  New  York,  the  rowdy 
element,  boiling  over  with  patriotism,  formed  themselves  into 
several  regiments,  some  of  which  were  officered  with  shining 
lights  of  the  P.  R.  Officers  and  men  left  the  city  with  the  idea 
that  they  were  going  to  "chaw  up"  the  "secesh,"  body  and 
bones ;  but  if  any  among  them  ever  returned  from  the  front, 
covered  with  the  glory  of  heroic  deeds,  the  recording  scribes  of 


BOXERS.  317 

the  war  have  either  been  too  prejudiced  to  do  them  justice,  or 
have  forgotten  it  entirely.  A  regiment  of  these  coves,  calling 
themselves  the  "Fire  Zouaves,"  who  had  blown  their  trumpets 
remarkably  loud,  and  threatened  the  Southrons  with  a  doom 
as  sanguinary  as  the  color  of  their  own  breeches,  were  brought 
into  action  for  the  first  time  at  the  battle  of  Bull  Run.  They 
only  waited  to  hear  one  volley  from  the  guns  of  the  "seceshers," 
but  threw  down  their  muskets  and  started  for  Washington,  a 
distance  of  nearly  thirty  miles,  and  never  stopped  until  they 
reached  it ;  on  the  principle,  doubtless,  that 

"  He  who  fights  and  runs  away 
May  live  to  fight  another  day ; 
But  he  who  is  in  battle  slain 
Can  never  hope  to  fight  again." 

Since  the  last  terrible  uprising  of  the  roughs,  in  the  summer  of 
1863,  which  is  still  fresh  in  the  minds  of  all,  these  gentry  have 
learned  that  it  is  not  wise  for  them  to  indulge  in  such  demon 
strations,  and  have  been  kept  in  pretty  good  subjection. 

Plug-Uglyism,  Dead-Rabbitism,  and  Thuggery,  have  passed 
away  with  the  days  in  which  they  flourished,  but  the  material  of 
which  they  were  composed  still  remains,  though  now  held  in 
salutary  check  by  a  well-disciplined  police  force,  backed  by  the 
bayonets  of  the  military.  The  rowdy  element  still  flourishes, 
and  is  still  a  power  in  the  cities  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia, 
and  a  united  one.  In  these  cities,  the  commission  of  brutal 
murders  by  election  roughs  is  of  almost  daily  occurrence  in 
times  of  excitement,  and  the  perpetrators  walk  abroad  in  open 
day,  fearlessly,  as  it  is  seldom  one  is  punished  for  his  atrocious 
conduct.  Bands  of  organized  thieves  are  continually  committing 
their  depredations  on  the  community,  and  are  either  allowed  to 
go  ''scot  free,"  or,  if  arrested,  to  purchase  their  freedom,  or  in 
some  way  escape  the  punishment  they  so  richly  deserve;  be 
cause,  to  a  man,  on  election  days,  they  work  to  elevate  their 
chosen  friends  to  office.  The  detectives  "stand  in"  with  the 
thieves.  Justice  is  administered  by-  an  unscrupulous  set  of  men, 
whose  decisions  are  often  more  in  accordance  with  their  feelings, 
and  those  of  their  friends,  than  strict  justice;  consequently  the 
laws  are  enforced  only  against  obscure  or  friendless  persons. 
Let  any  unfortunate  render  himself  obnoxious  to  any  of  the  prom 
inent  politicians  of  New  York,  a  charge  is  trumped  up  against 


318  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

him,  and  villains  are  suborned  to  swear  away  his  liberty,  or  per 
haps  even  his  life.  None  who  have  read  "Monte  Christo,"  I 
think,  could  fail  to  shudder  at  the  horrible  villainy  which  con 
signed  Edmond  Dantes  to  the  Chateau  D'lf,  and  felt  relieved 
to  think  the  whole  terrible  tale  was  but  the  creation  of  a  fertile 
brain.  Reader,  men  innocent  of  every  crime  have  been  placed 
at  the  bar  of  justice  in  New  York  city,  and  their  liberty  sworn 
away  by  villains  hired  for  that  purpose.  Such  acts  are  no  secret 
to  hundreds  of  people  in  the  city,  many  among  them  being 
practicing  lawyers,  well  versed  in  all  the  cunning  artifices  used 
at  the  criminal  bar — men  who  are  considered  highly  respectable, 
occupy  pews  in  prominent  churches,  and  outwardly  strictly  ob 
serve  all  the  religious  duties  of  their  creed;  like  the  Jews  of  old, 
they  keep  the  outside  of  the  platter  clean,  but  within,  "all  is 
rottenness  and  dead  men's  bones."  Why  should  they  raise  their 
voice  in  behalf  of  some  poor,  wronged,  obscure  wretch,  who  can 
bring  them  no  glory,  and  has  not  even  a  cent  to  pay  them? 
Why  should  they  draw  upon  themselves  the  enmity  of  a  power 
ful  political  clique,  only  for  the  sake  of  seeing  justice  done,  and 
gain  nothing  material  by  it  either? 

But  why  should  any  one  desire  to  send  an  innocent  man  to 
State's  prison?  Just  so;  but  why  are  some  people  so  anxious 
sometimes  to  send  a  rich  relative  to  the  lunatic  asylum?  Be 
cause  they  have  something  to  gain  by  it.  Policy,  gain,  revenge, 
or  lust,  are  generally  the  whips  with  which  the  devil  scourges  on 
mankind  to  the  commission  of  such  deeds. 

A  person  knowing  more  than  might  be  desirable  of  the  affairs, 
or  perhaps  the  previous  life  of  some  powerful  individual,  high  in 
authority,  might  some  day  ventilate  his  knowledge,  possibly 
before  a  court  of  justice;  but  if  his  wisdom  is  railroaded  to 
State's  prison,  his  evidence  becomes  harmless.  A  poor,  but 
ambitious  young  fellow  may  become  popular  in  the  ward  where 
he  lives.  Such  rising  eaglets  are,  if  recalcitrant,  always  objects 
of  inquietude  to  the  reigning  political  favorite,  who  thinks  the 
sooner  their  wings  are  clipped,  the  better.  The  Thugs  of  New 
Orleans  would  have  handed  such  as  these  over  to  the  assassins ; 
but  these  little  affairs  are  managed  in  a  more  humane  manner 
by  the  political  powers  of  New  York  city.  With  the  assistance 
of  a  pliable  judge,  a  clever  lawyer,  and  three  or  four  suborned 
witnesses,  he  is  ticketed  and  handed  over  to  the  keepers  of 


BOXERS.  319 

Sing  Sing  for  a  few  years.  Love,  or  rather  lust,  has  sometimes 
had  something  to  do  with  this  extraordinary  railroading.  A 
handsome  wife,  sister,  or  daughter,  may  he  a  desired  object,  and 
their  honor  may  be  protected  as  far  as  in  them  lies  by  a  husband, 
father,  or  brothers.  Should  these  prove  troublesome,  and  love 
honor  better  than  money,  the  easiest  way,  perhaps,  of  removing 
them  out  of  the  path  of  the  seducer,  is  to  railroad  them  into  the 
State's  prison;  not  a  difficult  task,  if  the  modus -operandi  be 
well  understood.  Witness  the  following  extract  from  the  Her 
ald,  (New  York),  Dec.  23rd,  1869: 

A    WAIF     FROM     THE     OKIENT. 

On  the  application  of  Mr.  David  B.  Philip,  a  writ  of  habeas 
corpus  was  granted  yesterday,  by  Judge  Troy,  of  Brooklyn,  in 
the  case  of  Miss  Hentus  Harootuma,  who  had  been  sent  to  the 
penitentiary  for  the  term  of  two  months,  by  Justice  Lynch,  on  a 
charge  of  malicious  trespass.  The  lady,  who  is  a  native  of 
Turkey,  finely  educated,  and  highly  accomplished,  is  about 
twenty-five  years  of  age,  and  very  prepossessing,  was  brought 
into  the  Court  of  Sessions  yesterday,  when  Mr.  A.  Bedrosiara, 
who  appeared  on  behalf  of  Mr.  C.  C.  Oscanyan,  the  Turkish 
Consul,  acted  as  her  interpreter,  and  stated  her  case  to  the 
Court.  From  her  story,  it  would  appear  that  she  was  the  vic 
tim  of  the  most  despicable  outrage.  A  year  or  so  ago,  she  says, 
a  man  named  C.  H.  Christian,  a  confectioner  on  Fulton  Avenue, 
Brooklyn,  formed  her  acquaintance  in  Turkey,  and  induced  her 
to  elope  with  him  to  this  country.  She  had  considerable  money 
at  the  time,  amounting  to  within  something  like  four  hundred 
pounds  sterling,  and  on  his  promising  to  make  her  his  wife  as 
soon  as  they  arrived  in  this  country,  she  gave  him  her  money, 
and  consented  to  elope  with  him  from  her  home,  and  followed 
him  to  America.  On  reaching  this  country,  Christian  established 
a  confectionery  store,  with  the  money  he  had  obtained,  but  re 
fused  to  marry  her,  and  recently,  when  she  asked  him  for  some 
money,  acted  in  a  very  violent  manner  towards  her.  On  the 
5th  inst.  he  had  her  arrested,  taken  before  Justice  Lynch,  and 
sent  to  Raymond  Street  Jail  for  ten  days.  On  the  day  of  her 
release  she  again  returned  to  the  house  of  her  betrayer,  and 
rung  the  door-bell.  Christian  appeared  at  the  door,  she  says, 


320  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

and  ordered  her  away.  Having  DO  other  home,  and  not  know 
ing  where  to  go,  she  refused  to  leave  the  house,  when  he  again 
caused  her  arrest.  On  this  occasion  he  made  a  charge  of  tres 
pass,  and,  at  his  solicitation,  the  Justice  seut  her  to  the  Kings 
County  Penitentiary  at  Flatbush  for  two  mouths.  The  atten 
tion  of  the  Turkish  Consul  was  called  to  the  case,  aud  through 
him  the  unfortunate  woman  was  liherated  from  prison.  Judge 
Troy  looked  upon  her  case  as  one  deserving  a  great  deal  of 
sympathy,  and  called  the  attention  of  the  District  Attorney  to  it, 
as  one  it  would  be  just  and  proper  to  submit  to  the  grand  jury. 
He  said  ho  had  in  several  instances  been  compelled  to  release 
parties  sent  to  prison  by  Justices,  where  no  proper  complaint 
had  been  made,  and  he  thought  it  time,,  now,  that  the  attention 
of  the  grand  jury  was  called  to  it.  The  lady  was  promptly  dis 
charged. 

Respectability  makes  a  charge  of  trespass  against  Obscurity, 
and  solicits  Justice  to  send  obnoxious  Obscurity  to  prison  for  two 
mouths.  The  obsequious  Justice  grants  the  request  of  voting 
Respectability.  Humanity  steps  in  and  takes  Obscurity  before 
a  higher  tribunal,  which  at  once  decides  that  the  prisoner  has 
been  deprived  of  her  liberty  without  sufficient  cause,  and  orders 
her  to  be  released.  The  Justice  also  informs  the  District  Attor 
ney  that  this  is  by  no  means  the  first  instance  in  which  he  has 
been  compelled  to  release  parties  from  prison  where  no  proper 
aud  sufficient  complaint  was  made  against  them.  There's  jus 
tice  for  you !  in  the  laud  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave ! 
where  the  "  star-spangled  banner,"  flaunting  to  the  breeze,  in 
vites  the  down-trodden  and  oppressed,  from  the  four  quarters  of 
the  globe,  to  come  aud  take  shelter  under  its  broad  aegis,  prom 
ising  all  equal  rights  before  the  law.  What  a  mockery ! 


PERSECUTION.  321 

CHAPTER    XXVI. 

PEKSECUTION. 

Up  to  the  commencement  of  the  civil  war  few  gamblers  have 
been  so  fortunate  as  to  escape  being  preyed  upon  in  some  man 
ner  by  desperadoes,  rowdies,  black-mailers,  or  rascally  officials, 
reckless  assassins,  and  rowdies.  These  worthies  in  the  Southern 
and  Border  States  and  territories  would  not  coolly  "bonnet"  a 
dealer  and  deprive  him  of  his  bank,  in  that  freebooter  style  so 
much  in  vogue  among  the  rowdies  of  the  North.  In  the  laud  of 
chivalry  the  rights  of  property  were  generally  too  highly  respect 
ed  to  tolerate  such  bare-faced  robberies ;  but  in  some  sections, 
where  armed  violence  had  full  sway,  it  might  not  be  safe,  at 
times,  for  a  strange  gambler  to  put  down  his  money  on  a  table. 

What  gamblers  principally  had  to  dread  from  Southern  and 
Border  State  ruffians  was  having  their  games  broken  up  by  vio 
lence,  their  valuable  patrons  driven  from  their  banks  in  conse 
quence  of  their  bets  being  stolen  from  the  lay-out,  or  gross 
abuse,  if  not  violent  assault  from  some  desperate  ruffian,  because 
unwilling  to  hand  over  to  him  their  money  at  his  mere  request. 
The  gambler  was  sometimes  not  only  forced  to  witness  such 
outrages  on  his  players,  without  power  to  protect  them,  but  that 
he  might  be  allowed  to  carry  on  his  business  was  often  compell 
ed  to  disgorge  to  the  ruffians  forced  loans.  They  frequently, 
too,  chose  his  crowded  room  as  the  arena  where  they  settled 
their  feuds;  pulling  out  tbeir  pistols  and  banging  away  at  each 
other  with  the  greatest  imaginable  looseness,  and  the  most  su 
preme  disregard  for  the  safety  of  the  other  inmates;  or  perhaps 
while  the  business  of  the  house  was  in  full  blast  a  band  of  these 
ruffians  would  enter  and  amuse  themselves  by  shooting  out  the 
lights,  and  otherwise  terrifying  and  molesting  the  patrons  until 
they  had  dispersed  them. 

Peaceable  citizens  would  naturally  be  deterred  from  visiting  a 
place  where  such  scenes  were  constantly  transpiring,  and  the 
efforts  of  the  owner  to  protect  his  game,  had  he  the  temerity  to 
make  any,  would  place  his  life  in  constant  jeopardy. 

In  New  York  and  Philadelphia^  and  many  other  Northern 
cities,  the  gambler  having  the  temerity  to  open  his  bank  without 


322  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

securing  the  protection  of  some  rowdy  leader,  was  almost  sure  to 
be  robbed.  Should  he  set  up  his  bauk  on  Ann  street,  the  Bow 
ery,  Chatham,  or  Barclay  Streets,  and  all  persons  be  privileged 
to  play  at  it,  he  might  count  himself  fortunate  if  one  day's  grace 
was  allowed  him  without  having  a  blanket  twisted  over  his  head 
and  his  person  relieved  of  whatever  valuables  he  carried  upon 
it.  Should  his  ambition  soar  above  such  mediocre  places,  and 
induce  him  to  fit  up  a  respectable  room  and  open  a  bauk  in  it  for 
select  players  only,  the  rowdies  would  make  a  descent  on  him, 
break  down  his  door,  run  all  the  players  out  of  the  place,  and 
steal  everything  they  could  lay  hands  on,  and  whatever  they 
could  not  carry  off  they  maliciously  destroyed.  While  strangers 
were  suffering  all  the  indignities  described,  a  dozen  or  more 
banks  in  the  city  carried  on  their  business  without  fear  of  mo 
lestation.  Their  dealers  were  neither  "bonneted"  nor  robbed, 
nor  in  any  respect  disturbed  at  their  business.  The  police  nor 
the  rowdies  dared  raid  them,  because  they  were  under  the  pro 
tection  of  the  rowdy  chiefs. 

Many  gamblers  are  still  living  who  remember  the  establish 
ment  at  No.  10  Ann  Street,  the  famous  "Tapis  Franc."  The 
front  room,  which  was  on  the  ground  floor,  contained  a  bar,  on 
the  English  ale-house  plan.  Immediately  behind  this  was 
another  long  narrow  room,  where  various  games  of  chance  were 
played,  such  as  chuck,  roulette,  twenty-one,  and  faro.  The 
patrons  of  this  house  were  from  almost  every  grade  of  society — . 
merchants,  bankers  and  lawyers,  came  here  to  solace  their  lei 
sure  hours  by  a  combat  with  the  "tiger,"  as  well  as  city  politi 
cians  of  every  grade,  from  the  alderman  to  the  pot-house  spout- 
er.  Garroters,  pickpockets,  and  slavers  frequented  the  place — 
all  were  welcome,  so  long  as  they  came  with  money  in  their 
hands.  The  ill-gotten  gains  of  the  footpad  were  as  welcome  to 
the  proprietors  of  the  "Tapis  Franc"  as  the  revenue  of  the 
millionaire,  provided  one  bet  as  freely  as  the  other.  But  if  any 
of  the  roughs  frequenting  the  house  conceived  the  idea  that  they 
could  grab  any  of  the  banks  by  "bonneting"  the  dealers,  or 
breaking  up  by  violence  the  games,  they  soon  received  strong 
demonstration  of  their  error,  for  the  proprietors  were  complete 
masters  of  the  logic  of  the  "knock-down  and  drag-out"  ar 
gument,  and  if  overpowered  by  numbers,  or  any  way  over 
matched,  a  single  cry  of  "  Police ! "  brought  a  detachment  of  blue- 
coated  city  guardians  to  the  rescue. 


PERSECUTION.  323 

No.  98  Barclay  Street  was  another  resort  of  the  roughs  to  play 
at  faro.  The  banks  here  were  generally  snaps,  and  the  com 
pany  of  the  most  abandoned  and  turbulent  description.  But 
they  would  not  rob  each  other  of  their  bank  money;  the  old 
adage  which  enjoins  "honor  among  thieves  "was  in  force  to 
that  extent  among  them.  A  captain  of  police  would  as  soontake 
his  men  into  the  heart  of  the  Comanche  nation,  when  all  the 
warriors  were  on  the  "  war-path"  to  avenge  some  injury  done 
them  by  the  whites,  and  attempt  to  capture  their  chief,  as  to 
enter  98  Barclay  Street  and  arrest  one  of  its  patrons.  No  gamb 
ler  having  any  respect  for  his  money,  if  knowing  the  character 
of  the  place,  would  dream  of  opening  a  bank  there,  though  there 
was  plenty  of  money  among  the  crowd  who  frequented  it.  It  is 
related  that  eight  dealers  were  successively  blanketed  and  rob 
bed  there  of  their  money  and  other  valuables. 

At  that  time  it  was  simply  impossible  for  any  gambler  to  con 
duct  a  game  in  New  York  city,  without  the  countenance  and 
protection  of  some  rowdy  leader.  Gamblers  have  repeatedly 
arrived  here,  from  the  East,  South,  and  West,  bringing  with 
them  plenty  of  funds,  and  invested  them  in  fitting  up  houses, 
where  they  desired  to  entertain  a  less  dangerous  and  objection 
able  class  of  customers,  and  to  do  so  in  a  more  agreeable  and  re 
fined  manner  than  they  had  previously  been  received  in  such 
places ;  but  the  moment  the  roughs  learned  that  they  were  to 
be  excluded,  they  burst  open  the  doors,  rushed  in  upon  the  par 
ties,  and  stole  or  destroyed  everything  of  the  slightest  value 
they  could  lay  their  hands  on.  During  these  raids,  the  proprie 
tors  and  their  patrons  might  consider  themselves  indeed  fortu 
nate,  did  they  escape  to  the  street  with  unbroken  bones  and  a 
whole  skin.  On  the  day  following  one  of  these  raids,  a  leading 
rough  would  call  on  the  despoiled  gambler,  and  condole  with 
him  on  the  rough  usage  he  had  received,  and  advise  him  to  give 
his  friend  "Larry  Reilly,"  or  some  other  Hibernian  appellation 
equally  euphonious,  an  interest  in  his  game.  "  A  d — n  dacent 
fellow.  None  o'  the  blaggards  '11  come  snakin'  round  where 
Larry  is.  They've  tasted  his  mutton  too  often  for  that,  an  be 
the  same  token  he's  a  gintlemau  ivery  inch  av  'im  sure ;  he  knows 
all  the  valuable  players  here,  an'  they  like  him  too.  Take  him 
in  wid  ye's ;  he'll  make  yer  fortin  fur  ye." 

The  gambler,  having  already  gone  to  considerable  expense, 


324  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

feels  that  he  cannot  afford  to  abandon  the  enterprise,  if  he  can 
procure  protection  enough  to  secure  him  against  such  raids  in 
future,  so  he  consents  to  give  "the  dacent  man,  Larry  Reilly," 
an  interest  in  his  game,  without  his  risking  a  single  cent  in  it 
himself.  Larry,  who  belongs  to  a  political  ring,  has  gained  his 
point.  'Twas  he  put  up  the  job  to  have  the  house  raided,  suc 
ceeded,  and  is  now  duly  installed  as  one  of  its  proprietors  and 
its  protector.  He  has  probably  just  sufficient  knowledge  of  gam 
bling  to  play  a  game  of  euchre  or  romps  for  "  drinks  all  round" 
in  some  rum-mill;  but  among  the  roughs  he  is  all-powerful,  and 
when  he  "  opes  his  lips  no  dog  must  bark."  Let  him  but  raise 
his  finger,  and  the  most  turbulent  among  them  is  reduced  to  in 
stant  obedience.  Should  any  person  try  to  black-mail  the  house 
during  his  connection  with  it,  he  will  get  his  head  "  mashed"  for 
his  pains. 

About  the  time  of  the  breaking  out  of  our  civil  war,  the  roughs 
of  New  York  were  beginning  to  learn  that  even  a  gambling- 
house  was  entitled  to  legal  protection.  A  Mr.  William  Mulligan, 
duelist,  desperado,  boxer  and  bruiser,  the  hero  of  three  duels, 
half  a  dozen  street  fights,  and  ring  and  bar-room  fights  innu 
merable,  being  expatriated  from  California  by  the  Vigilance 
Committee  of  San  Francisco,  found,  after  an  absence  of  many 
years,  "  his  foot  upon  his  native  heath "  in  the  city  of  New 
York.  Whether  muscle,  steel,  or  lead,  were  brought  into  play, 
Billy  Mulligan  was  found  to  be  rather  ail  unpleasant  customer 
to  stagger  up  against.  On  his  arrival  in  New  York,  he  was  re 
ceived  with  open  arms  and  demonstrations  of  much  joy,  by  the 
great  unwashed ;  and  why  not  ?  Was  he  not  the  hero  of  fifty 
battles — the  victor  on  many  a  hard-fought  field — a  leader  of 
political  rowdyism  in  California — a  bold  and  fearless  expounder 
of  its  opinions  ?  and  was  he  not  at  that  moment  a  martyr  to  the 
cause  ?  Favors  and  money  were  showered  on  the  redoubtable 
Billy,  by  his  admirers,  nor  did  it  for  a  moment  cross  his  mind 
that  he  was  violating  any  moral  or  social  duty  in  accepting 
everything  that  was  offered  him.  Ho  had  a  strong  appreciation 
of  the  luxuries  and  pleasures  of  life,  and  among  other  things  was 
prone  to  enter  into  tussles  with  the  tiger,  in  which  that  decep 
tive  animal  pretty  generally  came  off  the  victor.  Few  things  in 
life  dulls  the  enthusiasm  of  friends  so  quickly  as  the  borrowing 
of  money  and  neglecting  to  pay  it.  Mulligan's  admirers  began 


PERSECUTION.  325 

to  make  up  their  minds  that  he  was  too  expensive  a  luxury  to 
be  extensively  indulged  in,  consequently  withdrew  themselves 
in  a  great  measure  from  his  society.  His  popularity  was  on  the 
wane.  Those  whom  he  owed,  to  escape  lending  him  more,  avoided 
him.  Keepers  of  gambling-houses  had  loaned  him  money  from 
a  sense  of  fear,  in  order  to  deter  him  from  creating  a  disturb 
ance  in  their  houses ;  and  when  his  sources  of  revenue  from  the 
outside  were  diminished,  he  confined  his  predatory  onslaughts 
to  their  customers,  whom  they  had  to  stand  calmly  by  and  see 
mulcted  in  forced  loans,  without  daring  to  make  the  slightest 
remonstrance.  The  redoubtable  Billy,  meeting  one  of  his  ac 
quaintances  before  a  faro-table  with  five  or  six  hundred  dol 
lars'  worth  of  chips,  would  demand  a  loan  of  one  or  two  hundred 
dollars'  worth  of  them,  which  was  pretty  generally  granted  by 
the  player,  sooner  than  expose  himself  to  his  enmity,  which  he 
would  surely  gain,  should  he  refuse ;  not  to  mention,  as  often 
happened,  abuse  and  brutal  violence.  This  man  finally  became 
so  obnoxious  to  faro-players,  that  his  appearance  in  a  gambling- 
house  was  sufficient  to  cause  the  players  to  pass  in  their  checks, 
get  the  money  for  them,  and  precipitately  leave  the  place. 

The  career  of  Mr.  Mulligan  was  finally  brought  to  an  abrupt 
close,  by  one  of  those  redoubtable  guardians  of  gambling-houses, 
described  in  a  former  chapter,  and  who  was  as  well  a  prominent 
ward  politician.  In  the  establishment  676  Broadway,  where  this 
chief  reigned,  Mr.  Mulligan  had  exploited  in  his  usual  engaging 
manner  several  times,  and  was  finally  plainly  informed  by  its 
guardian  that  they  did  not  keep  a  loan-office,  and  would  no 
longer  submit  to  have  their  patrons  driven  away  in  consequence 
of  his  practices  upon  them.  When  a  bully  falters,  he  is  lost. 
Mulligan  retorted  upon  the  chief  with  some  choice  language  pe 
culiar  to  his  tongue,  which,  by  the  way,  was  as  potent  in  its  sphere 
as  his  muscular  arms  and  sledge-hammer  fists  were  in  theirs. 
That  worthy  retorted  upon  Mulligan  by  stepping  to  the  door, 
calling  a  policeman,  and  desiring  him  to  take  that  gentleman 
out  of  the  house;  but  he  prevented  the  officer  from  executing 
the  order,  by  presenting  at  his  head  a  loaded  pistol.  He  ran  to 
the  door  and  rapped  for  assistance,  and  Mr.  Mulligan  was  in- 
gloriously  marched  to  the  lock-up.  His  case  was  sent  before  the 
criminal  court ;  but  in  the  meantime  he  procured  bail,  and  al 
though  repeatedly  advised  to  forfeit  it  by  his  sureties,  he  obsti- 


326  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

nately  refused  to  do  so,  thinking,  no  doubt,  that  none  would  dare 
punish  so  important  a  personage  as  Billy  Mulligan.  The  trial 
came  off  and  he  was  sentenced  to  four  years  in  Sing  Sing  at  hard 
labor.  It  was  at  the  time,  and  has  ever  since  been  the  prevail 
ing  opinion,  that  Mulligan's  conviction  was  the  result  of  a  con 
spiracy  ;  and  what  gives  color  to  the  supposition  is  the  fact  that, 
after  being  incarcerated  for  eight  months,  he  was  released  on  a 
writ  of  error.  His  turbulent  and  domineering  spirits  had  aroused 
against  him  a  host  of  enemies,  among  whom  were  many  powerful 
men,  who  were  only  too  glad  of  an  opportunity  to  wreak  their 
revenge  upon  him,  when  he  had  placed  himself  within  the 
meshes  of  the  law,  and  there  is  very  little  doubt  that  he  owed 
his  conviction  to  one  of  those  plots  so  well  known  to  the  legal 
practitioners  of  New  York,  for  getting  rid  of  an  obnoxious  person 
by  railroading  him  into  State's  prison. 

But  the  conviction  of  Mulligan  had  a  very  salutary  effect  on 
the  rowdy  element  of  New  York,  and  showed  them  that  they 
could  not  break  down  the  doors  of  a  gambling-house,  rob,  and 
otherwise  maltreat  the  inmates,  and  walk  off  scot-free  without 
danger  of  punishment  from  the  law.  It  also  taught  the  proprie 
tors  that  it  was  their  "right  to  call  a  policeman  to  remove  from 
their  premises  any  person  who  was  disorderly,  or  otherwise 
making  himself  a  nuisance  to  the  other  inmates,  without  the 
penalty  of  being  called  upon  to  answer  before  a  police  justice, 
for  the  character  of  their  establishments.  From  the  time  of 
Mulligan's  arrest,  the  roughs  of  New  York  ceased  their  raids  on 
gambling -houses,  and  their  proprietors  can  now  shut  their  doors 
against  rowdies,  ruffians,  dead-beats,  shysters,  and  check- 
charmers,  without  the  least  apprehensions  on  the  score  of 
violence. 

Philadelphia  has  for  more  than  thirty  years  been  under  the 
control  of  the  rowdy  element,  and  during  that  time  no  gambler 
dare  set  up  his  bank  there,  unless  he  first  propitiate  the  favor 
and  secure  the  protection  of  some  political  rowdy  leader.  Should 
he,  as  many  before  him  have  done,  try  to  do  so,  he  will  become 
the  prey  of  every  black-mailer  and  extortionist  of  like  feather 
in  the  city,  and  their  name  is  legion.  Men  will  be  staked  to  play 
at  his  game ;  should  they  win,  all  right ;  but  should  they  lose,  they 
will  sue  back  for  five  times  the  amount  dropped  against  the  bank. 
Tiny  will  drop  money  on  his  game,  or  take  any  other  despicable 


PERSECUTION.  327 

advantage,  and  should  he  chance  to  be  a  person  who  will  stand 
no  such  nonsense,  and  offers  to  make  any  resistance,  no  matter 
how  slight,  they  will  break  up  his  game,  and  pitch  himself  and 
gambling  paraphernalia  out  of  the  window.  A  rough  place  on 
strange  faro-dealers  is  Philadelphia.  Should  one  have  the  te 
merity  to  apply  to  a  magistrate  for  redress  or  protection,  ho  will 
be  immediately  consigned  to  the  Moyamensing  prison  for  twelve 
months,  by  the  outraged  majesty  of  the  law,  for  dealing  faro. 

The  resident  gamblers  of  the  place  all  spring  from  and  be 
long  to  the  rowdy  element,  and  are  of  the  most  despicable 
order,  and  so  cowardly  that  a  faro-bank  of  a  $50  limit  is  fre 
quently  banked  by  a  dozen  of  them.  They  are  constantly 
wrangling  among  themselves,  and  meanly  jealous  of  each  other's 
success ;  but  let  a  strange  gambler  arrive  in  the  place  and  open 
a  bank,  they  will  unite  almost  to  a  man,  to  rob  him,  and  should 
they  fail  in  accomplishing  their  purpose,  will  employ  roughs  to 
break  up  his  game,  and  if  he  has  not  secured  the  favor  and  pro 
tection  of  one  of  the  rowdy  leaders,  he  is  fortunate  indeed  if  he 
escapes  from  the  place  with  a  dollar  in  his  pocket,  or  an  un 
broken  bone  in  his  skin.  In  order  to  obtain  this  protection,  he 
must  give  up  at  least  ten  per  cent,  of  his  game  ;  many  strange 
gamblers  have,  at  various  times,  secured  this  protection,  and 
been  free,  in  consequence,  from  descents  from  the  ruffians  and 
the  extortionists  and  black-mailers  who  follow  in  their  train. 
Such  skinning-houses  as  exist  there,  both  first  and  second  class, 
are  under  the  special  protection  of  the  rowdy  leaders,  and  are 
mulcted  in  ten  or  twenty  per  cent,  of  their  profits,  as  the  price 
of  such  shelter.  Several  Judges  and  District  Attorneys  have  at 
various  times  tried  to  break  up  all  the  gambling-houses  in  the 
city,  but  have  invariably  found,  in  the  end,  that  the  rowdy  ele 
ment  was  too  strong  for  them. 

No  class,  on  an  average,  has  produced  braver  men,  or  more  of 
them  in  proportion  to  its  number,  than  the  gambling  commu 
nity  ;  still,  as  all  its  members  are  by  no  means  so,  and  where  one 
is  daring,  ten  are  mild  and  peaceable,  and  as  it  often  happens 
the  bravest  cannot  protect  themselves,  in  such  cases  they  must 
rely  on  the  expedients  devised  by  a  fertile  brain  for  protection. 
The  gambler,  in  days  now  gone  by,  was  compelled  to  have  a 
protector*  and  it  often  happened  none  was  more  efficient  or 
more  useful  than  the  man  who  had  killed  one  or  more  persons  in 


328  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

a  street  fight  or  duel,  or  had  established  his  reputation  in  a 
forty-foot  ring,  or  the  chivalrous  individual  who  had  covered 
himself  with  glory  by  brass-knuckling  a  score  or  so  of  persons  at 
an  election  row,  or  a  bar-room  fight ;  or  the  western  gentleman, 
who  had  won  for  himself  a  deathless  name  by  "gouging  out"  a 
dozen  or  so  of  eyes  during  his  various  frolics,  not  to  mention 
biting  off  of  a  few  ears  and  noses  in  the  overflow  of  his  spirits. 
In  fact,  killers,  bruisers,  and  boxers  were  made  serviceable  as 
guardians,  in  many  places,  previous  to  the  inaugurating  of  our 
present  admirable  system  of  police.  In  those  days  many  of  our 
young  bloods  were  everywhere  attended  by  some  noted  bully 
or  desperado,  as  a  protection.  Theatres,  circuses,  and  public 
balls,  had  their  bullies  in  attendance,  to  preserve  order,  and 
one  of  these  was  in  such  cases  found  more  serviceable  than 
half  a  dozen  of  the  police  of  that  time.  The  presence  of  the  lat 
ter,  in  fact,  was  often  an  object  of  attack  for  a  party  of  young 
rowdies,  but  the  appearance  on  the  scene,  of  a  noted  desperado 
or  bully,  would  strike  a  wholesome  terror  to  the  hearts  of  such 
lawless  characters. 

As  the  gambler  could  get  no  protection  from  the  law,  he  w 
bound  to  provide  himself  with  the  next  best  thing  obtainable, 
and  was  consequently  obliged  to  fall  back  on  the  desperado  or 
rowdy.  While  dealing  his  game  upon  race-courses,  or  at  fairs, 
as  well  as  many  other  places  where  there  were  public  gather 
ings,  also  in  localities  where  law  and  police  were  myths,  no 
gambler  could  carry  on  his  game  unless  protected  by  some  des 
perado,  who  was  respected  by  the  thieves  and  rowdies,  and  who 
inspired  in  their  minds  a  desire  to  keep  a  safe  distance  between 
his  "bunch  of  fives"  and  their  persons.  As  these  latter-named 
classes  feared  a  first-class  bruiser  more  than  any  emissary  of 
the  law,  supposing  such  an  one  at  hand,  the  gamblers  fell 
back  upon  such  characters  for  support  and  protection.  In  those 
lawless  regions,  and  in  those  semi-civilized  days,  it  was  custom 
ary  for  itinerant  gamblers  to  have  traveling  always  with  them 
some  noted  bruiser  or  pugilist,  and  the  custom  was  not  entirely 
abandoned  until  since  the  closing  of  our  civil  war. 

I  have  mentioned  that  the  law  offered  no  protection  whatever 
to  the  gambler ;  in  fact,  in  many  places  the  officers  of  the  law 
were  his  most  persistent  and  bitter  enemies.  They*  viewed 
every  gambler  who  set  up  his  game  in  their  midst,  as  a  fat  sub- 


PERSECUTION.  329 

ject  to  be  plucked  by  them,  without  the  slightest  compunctions 
of  conscience,  or  any  fear  of  condemnation  from  the  community 
or  censure  from  the  public  generally.  The  very  laws  which  had 
beeu  framed  in  many  of  the  States,  to  prevent  gambling,  were 
used  by  the  rascally  officials  to  black-mail  gamblers.  For  in 
stance  :  In  Texas,  where  the  fines  for  dealing  banking-games 
range  from  $25  to  $100,  the  amount  to  be  fixed  by  the  discre 
tion  of  the  courts,  in  proportion  to  the  enormity  of  the  offense, 
the  District  Attorney  accumulates  against  a  gambler  as  many 
indictments  as  he  possibly  can,  and  then  offers  to  quash  them 
for  a  certain  sum  of  money.  This  cash,  it  is  unnecessary  to  say, 
he  pockets.  In  precisely  the  same  manner  does  the  District  At 
torney  of  Kentucky  operate  against  gamblers  who  have  in 
fringed  the  gambling  laws  of  the  State,  which  provide  that,  for 
dealing  any  banking-game  of  chance,  the  person  so  doing  shall 
be  fined  for  each  and  every  offense,  $500,  no  more  nor  no  less. 
Half  this  sum  goes  into  the  pocket  of  the  informer,  $125  to  the 
school- fund,  and  $125  to  the  prosecuting  attorney.  But  these 
gentry  have  generally  looked  sharply  after  their  own  pockets, 
and  carried  on  their  own  " little  game"  under  the  rose.  It  was 
no  uncommon  thing  for  a  District  Attorney  to  permit  a  gambler 
to  open  and  run  a  faro-bank,  and  to  suffer  none  to  molest  him, 
and  when  he  was  about  to  quit  the  place,  pass  in  to  him  his 
little  bill,  drawn  up  in  accordance  with  the  sum  which  the  bank 
had  won  since  playing  in  the  town.  If  it  had  won  nothing,  his 
bill  for  non-intervention  would  be  $125.  Should  he  be  inform 
ed  that  the  bank  had  won  $2000,  his  demand  against  the  banker 
would  probably  reach  as  high  as  $500.  The  latter  could,  if  he 
desired,  leave  the  place  before  a  bill  had  been  found  against 
him  by  the  grand  jury,  but  should  he  ever  venture  again  within 
the  limits  of  the  State,  the  District  Attorney  would  make  him 
pay  his  little  bill,  or  leave  him  in  jail  at  two  dollars  per  day, 
until  the  amount  of  his  fine  had  been  paid.  This  wretched 
clause  was,  in  1862,  expunged  from  the  law,  and  those  portions 
of  the  fines  formerly  given  to  the  informer,  now  reverted  to  the 
State.  But  the  Attorney's  fine  still  stands,  and  the  cases  are 
few  indeed,  where  a  gambler  is  allowed  to  slip  away  from  a 
place  until  he  has  "  planked  down  the  dust"  required  by  this 
gentleman.  The  present  District  Attorney  of  Louisville  realizes 
yearly  from  $12,000  to  $15,000  from  gambling-houses  in  that 


330  -WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

city.  Each  house  is  taxed  by  him  according  to  the  money  it 
makes,  or  is  by  him  supposed  to  make.  This  is  accomplished  by 
collecting  a  certain  number  of  indictments  against  each  house, 
then  sending  separately  for  the  proprietors,  and  presenting 
them  with  his  bill.  After  considerable  haggling,  the  man  of 
law  and  the  gambler  agree  upon  a  price,  which  gives  to  the  lat 
ter  another  year's  respite. 

In  New  York,  the  District  Attorneys  had  to  depend  on  ter 
rorism,  in  order  to  extract  money  from  the  gamblers.  Two 
laws  were  on  the  statute  books,  and  recognized  in  the  State. 
The  oldest  was  a  fine  of  $50  for  playing  or  dealing  any  banking 
game  of  chance,  and  subsequently,  in  1851,  a  law  was  enacted, 
making  the  dealing  of  any  such  game  a  felony,  punishable  by  a 
rustication  of  five  years  in  the  State's  prison.  This  law,  though 
it  could  not  be  enforced,  juries  refusing  to  convict  under  it,  ad 
mirably  answered  tho  purposes  of  black-mailing  lawyers.  When 
ever  a  gambler,  having  strong  political  influence,  was  tried  for 
dealing  a  game  of  chance,  he  was  usually  convicted  under  the 
old  law,  which  in  such  cases  made  and  provided  that  he 
sheuld  be  fined  $50.  But  should  the  culprit  be  a  stranger,  or  a 
person  of  little  or  no  influence,  and  a  fat  subject  for  plucking, 
they  were  forced  to  disgorge  under  the  new  law,  which  threat 
ened  them  with  the  State's  prison.  This  was  generally  accom 
plished  by  protracting  the  period  of  their  trial,  keeping  it  over 
from  one  term  to  another,  and  from  court  to  court,  until  the 
victim  was  satisfied  to  pay  several  hundreds,  in  order  to  close  up 
the  vexatious  business,  and  be  rid  at  once  of  his  anxiety  and  sus 
pense.  About  ten  years  since,  a  few  gamblers  of  New  York 
city  forced  the  courts  to  decide  under  which  of  these  laws 
gamblers  must  be  convicted.  This  was  done  by  several  gam 
blers  who  were  indicted  in  different  courts,  standing  their  trials, 
and  being  all  convicted  under  the  $50  fine  law,  thus  estab 
lishing  a  precedent.  But  I  need  scarcely  inform  the  reader 
that  those  heroic  gentlemen,  who  sacrificed  themselves  to  test 
the  sovereignty  of  the  two  laws,  were  made  aware  of  the  fate 
which  awaited  them,  before  the  coming  off  of  their  trials.  But 
if  a  few  District  Attorneys  may  be  found  unscrupulous  enough 
to  black-mail  gamblers  by  perverting  the  laws  of  the  State, 
happily,  there  are  many  who  are  much  too  high-minded  to  de-s 
scend  to  such  unworthy  artifices  in  order  to  enrich  themselves. 


PERSECUTION.  331 

Most  of  these  gentlemen,  especially  in  our  large  cities,  leave  the 
gamblers  entirely  unmolested,  and  the  howls  raised  against  them 
on  that  account,  by  some  of  the  ultra  moral  press,  are  unjust,  be 
cause  a  jury  could  scarcely  be  empaneled  who  would  convict 
under  the  harsh  laws  on  the  statute  books  of  some  of  the  States. 
In  two  of  our  large  cities,  Baltimore  and  New  Orleans,  gambling 
is  regulated  by  the  police  department,  but  is  never  interfered 
with,  because  they  levy  on  each  house  a  certain  tax  for  the  sup 
port  of  their  political  power.  In  Chicago  and  St.  Louis  the 
gambling-houses  are  raided  at  the  caprice  of  the  Chiefs  of  Police, 
and  their  gambling  paraphernalia  confiscated.  In  neither  of 
those  States  is  there  any  law  to  justify  such  high-handed  pro 
ceedings,  except  the  law  of  might.  Repeatedly  have  all  the 
square  gambling-houses  of  Chicago  been  closed  by  the  so-called 
"authority"  of  the  Chief  of  Police,  while  as  many  as  two  or  three 
skinuing-houses  carried  on  their  business  full  blast,  having  lib 
erally  "palmed"  that  worthy  for  his  grace  towards  them,  while 
the  "square"  houses,  being  unable  to  act  in  like  manner,  were 
closed.  Between  the  years  1856  and  1859,  four  sharpers  were 
allowed  to  keep  open  their  gorgeous  establishment,  to  the  exclu 
sion  of  all  others.  George  Trussell,  one  of  the  partners  in  this 
firm,  was  a  shrewd,  cunning  Yankee  from  Vermont,  and  a  mem 
ber  of  the  secret  police.  Every  gambler  setting  up  a  game  in 
the  city,  he  had  arrested,  imprisoned,  and  mulcted  in  heavy 
fines,  besides  causing  their  gambling  tools  to  be  confiscated. 
This  fellow  had  full  sway  over  the  gambling  privilege  of  the 
city,  which  his  compeers  and  himself  turned  into  a  stealing 
privilege,  for  which  they  feed  the  accommodating  police  most 
munificently.  The  career  of  this  worthy  was  finally  hrought  to 
an  abrupt  close  by  a  pistol  in  the  hands  of  his  mistress.  The 
woman,  of  whom  he  had  begun  to  tire,  sent  for  him  to  come  to 
her;  he  refused  to  do  so,  sending  back  hy  the  messenger,  who 
was  the  trainer  of  the  trotting  horse  Dexter,  of  which  he  was 
part  owner,  an  insulting  message.  The  woman,  who  was  par 
tially  drunk,  entered  a  carriage  and  was  driven  to  a  drinking- 
saloon,  where  she  knew  Trussell  was,  and  again  sent  in  the  mes 
senger,  whom  she  had  retained  with  her.  He  replied  by  an 
oath.  The  messenger  then  tried  to  dissuade  her  from  trying 
further,  and  to  induce  her  to  return  home.  She  would  not 
listen,  but  got  down  from  the  carriage,  and,  without  saying 


332  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

another  word,  fired  three  shots  at  him  from  a  revolver,  which  all 
took  effect.  He  died  in  a  few  moments.  When  the  woman 
found  she  had  killed  him,  she  gave  way  to  the  most  frantic 
grief  and  ravings.  She  was  arrested,  tried,  and,  on  account  of 
extenuating  circumstances,  received  a  very  light  sentence,  one 
year  in  the  penitentiary,  I  believe.  At  her  discharge,  she  left 
Chicago  and  went  to  California. 

After  the  death  of  Trussell,  the  power  of  the  sharpers  waned, 
and  square  faro-banks  were  once  more  opened  hi  the  city.  But 
should  one  of  them  neglect  the  ceremony  of  roundly  palming  the 
Chief  of  Police,  or  should  his  agents  fail  in  obtaining  for  him  an 
interest  in  some  well-to-do  game,  he  is  immediately  seized, 
suddenly,  with  a  virtuous  zeal  to  put  down  gambling  in  the  good 
city  of  Chicago,  by  the  closing  of  all  gaming  establishments, 
(nota  bene,  who  do  not  pay  tribute  to  him).  This  mode  of  pro 
ceeding  was  for  a  long  time  fashionable  in  many  of  our  other 
larger  cities.  A  Police  Captain,  if  not  satisfactorily  "palmed," 
would  make  a  descent  on  a  gambling  establishment,  seize  all  its 
inmates  and  the  gaming  appurtenances,  and  take  them  to  the 
lock-up,  for  no  other  purpose  than  to  administer  to  the  parties  a 
healthy  scare,  and  a  lesson  to  all  the  gamblers  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  raided  establishment,  and  let  them  know  they  could  not 
carry  on  their  games  without  their  connivance  and  assistance. 
But  this  agreeable  style  of  doing  things  has  been  broken  up  to  a 
great  extent  by  honest  Judges,  who  would  not  concede  that  a 
police  officer  had  a  right  to  enter  a  gambling-house  without  the 
warrant  of  a  magistrate.  These  kind  of  Judges  had,  on  several 
occasions,  to  rebuke  their  officers  for  their  unlawful  descents 
upon  gambling-houses,  before  they  could  succeed  in  putting  a 
stop  to  such  high-handed  proceedings  in  New  York.  Such  a 
thing  has  never  happened  in  Boston,  since  the  redoubtable 
Marshal  Tukey,  about  thirty  years  ago,  made  such  a  descent, 
and  captured  all  the  inmates,  some  forty  in  all,  whom  he  hand 
cuffed,  and  marched  in  pairs  to  the  lock-up.  New  England, 
with  all  her  sins  on  the  head  of  ultra  Puritanism,  has  persecuted 
gamblers  less  than  any  other  States  in  the  Union,  if  we  may 
except  the  single  one  of  Arkansas. 

Of  the  many  cunning  devices  put  into  execution  by  officers  of 
the  law,  in  order  to  extract  money  from  gamblers,  the  following, 
which  happened  in  Louisville,  Kentucky,  between  the  years  1856 


PEKSECUTION.  333 

and  1858,  caps  the  climax.  Brewster  and  Gilmore,  two  de 
tectives  of  that  city,  saw  in  the  gambling  laws,  if  properly 
manipulated,  a  small  fortune  for  themselves;  but  in  order  to 
avail  themselves  of  all  the  advantages  connected  therewith,  it 
was  necessary  that  a  magistrate  should  "  stand  in"  with  them,  in 
their  plans.  This  individual  was  found,  in  the  person  of  the 
County  Judge.  This  worthy  dignitary,  on  the  oaths  of  the  de 
tectives  mentioned,  would  issue  warrants  of  arrest  for  such  as 
were  running  games  within  his  jurisdiction.  Armed  with  these, 
Brewster  and  Gilmore  would  seize  their  victims  and  drag  them 
to  prison.  The  arrested  gambler  might  certainly  give  security 
and  stand  his  trial,  but  it  would  not  better  his  condition.  Con 
viction  was  certain  to  follow,  with  a  fine  of  $500,  which  must  be 
paid  by  the  culprit,  or  worn  out  in  the  county  jail  at  $2.00  per 
day. 

The  gambler,  on  his  arrest,  was  informed  by  his  worthy  cap 
tors,  that,  on  the  payment  of  $500,  he  was  at  liberty  to  seek  fresh 
fields  and  pastures  new,  and  it  is  needless  to  add  that  not  one 
in  five  hundred  refused  the  generous  offer.  Brewster  and  his 
"pal"  soon  closed  every  faro-room  in  Louisville;  but,  strange  to 
say,  during  the  whole  time  they  were  so  virtuously  following  up, 
and  driving  from  their  midst,  every  gambler  who  dared  open  a 
game  in  the  city,  an  aristocratic  skinning-house  flourished  with 
out  let  or  hindrance. 

Strange  gamblers,  coming  to  Louisville,  and  stopping  at  the 
Gait  House,  were  allowed  by  Mr.  Raines,  at  that  time  its 
proprietor,  and  a  warm  friend  to  gamblers,  to  set  up  their  games 
in  their  sleeping-rooms.  Within  these  hallowed  precincts  the 
feet  of  Mr.  Brewster,  and  his  "  pal,"  Gilmore,  could  not  penetrate; 
much  to  their  disgust  and  chagrin.  But  they  set  their  brains  to 
work,  and  finally  hit  upon  a  plan  which  answered  their  purpose 
just  as  well.  Citizens  of  the  place,  who  were  known  votaries  of 
play,  were  invited  to  these  banks,  though  none  except  those  of 
unquestionable  integrity,  and  in  whose  honor  and  secrecy  the 
most  implicit  trust  could  be  placed.  Whenever  one  of  these 
transient  banks  was  playing  in  the  house,  Mr.  Raines  never 
allowed  any  of  the  servants  to  wait  on  that  room,  except  his  own 
favorite  boy,  in  whom  he  placed  the  utmost  trust  and  confidence. 
For  some  time  Brewster  and  his  "pal"  were  at  fault,  but  not 
long.  The  patrons  of  the  game,  returning  home  from  the  Gait 


334  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

House,  were  arrested  on  the  street,  dragged  before  a  magistrate, 
and  'forced,  under  oath,  to  betray  the  names  of  those  they  had 
played  against.    On  the  strength  of  this  forced  evidence,  war 
rants  were  issued  for  the  arrest  of  the  gamblers,  and  they  were 
forced  to  hand  over  to  their  persecutors  the  requisite  $500.    For 
something  like  eighteen  months  these  secret  arrests  were  re 
peated  at  intervals,  until  the  respectable  votaries  of  the   game 
began  to  look  on  each  other  with  distrust  and  suspicion.    Mean 
while,   about  fifty  gamblers  had  been  arrested,  and  forced  to 
disgorge  five  hundred  apiece.    It  was  evident  that  there  was, 
somewhere  in  their  midst,  a  traitor,  who,  having  recourse  to  the 
rooms  during  the  hours  of  play,  was  secretly  giving  information 
to  the  detectives.    But  no  suspicion  fell  on  the  real  culprit,  and 
probably  his  guilt  would  never  have  become  known  to  those  who 
trusted  him  so  entirely,  had  it  not  been  that  Brewster  could  not 
resist  an  opportunity  of  venting  his  spleen  on  John  Raines,  and 
showing  him  how  cunningly  he  had  outwitted  him.    Raines  had 
forbidden  him  entrance  to  the  hotel,  since  he  arrested  gamblers 
there,   which  so  exasperated  that  worthy,   that,   in    order  to 
revenge  himself,  he  betrayed  the  poor  slave  who  had  trusted  to 
his  honor.    The  disclosure  was  not  made,  however,  until  the 
County  Judge  mentioned  had  retired  from  office,  his  term  having 
expired,    and  the  man  who  filled  his  place  refused  to  issue 
warrants  for  arrests  of  gamblers,  unless  on  the  voluntary  com 
plaint  of  a  citizen;  and  this  decision  had  destroyed  the  "little 
game"  of  Gilmore  and  his  companion,  and  being  no  longer  able 
to  avail  themselves  of  the  perfidy  of  Raines'  boy,  they  did  not 
for  an  instant  hesitate  to  expose  him,  for  the  sake  of  a  petty 
revenge.    The  unfortunate  slave,  whom  they  had  betrayed  after 
serving  them  so  well,  received  a  hundred  lashes  from  his  master, 
and  was  afterwards  sold  to  a  cotton  planter  hi  the  South. 


EEEJUDICES.  335 

C  H  AFTER    XXVII. 

PREJUDICES. 

"  Have  youlieerd  ther  noos,  Missus  Jones?"  inquired  a  neigh 
bor  of  an  old  lady  seated  in  her  door-way  enjoying  her  pipe,  her 
"darter"  being  engaged  hanging  clothes  to  dry  in  the  back  yard. 

"  No,  I  haint,"  she  replied,  taking  her  pipe  from  her  mouth, 
and  earnestly  regarding  the  speaker;  "I  haint  heerd  nothing; 
what  is  it,  Mister  Rush?" 

"  A  pesky  lot  o'  gamblers  ev  got  inter  town !"  replied  Mr.  Rush. 

"Goodness  gracious!"  exclaimed  the  old  lady,  springing  to 
her  feet,  and  screaming  to  her  " darter"  at  the  top  of  her  voice, 
"  Susy,  take  in  them  ere  clothes;  the  gamblers  is  comin'." 

The  above  anecdote  illustrates  the  light  in  which  gamblers 
were  viewed  in  this  country  half  a  generation  since.  The  people 
were  taught  to  consider  the  name  a  synonym  for  a  set  of  cut 
throats,  whose  mildest  crimes  were  to  decoy  the  unwary  into 
their  "  hells,"  and  there  rob  them;  that  they  were  the  patrons 
of  boxers,  bruisers,  and  the  lowest  and  vilest?  of  every  class,  and 
recognized  no  law  except  the  bullet  and  the  knife,  which  they 
were  ready  to  resort  to  on  every  occasion,  to  avenge  real  or 
fancied  slights  or  wrongs.  From  pulpit,  press,  and  forum,  were 
such  denunciations  hurled  on  their  devoted  heads,  by  persons 
who  knew  as  much  of  their  principles,  habits,  manners,  and  cus 
toms,  as  of  those  of  the  people  living  in  the  unexplored  regions 
of  Central  Africa.  Society  voted  gaming  a  vice,  consequently 
none  dared  defend  it  or  its  votaries,  and  sectarian  hypocrites,  po 
litical  demagogues,  and  the  "  unco  guid  "of  every  style  whose 
stock  in  trade  was  the  denunciation  of  sin,  seized  upon  gaming 
and  its  votaries  as  capital  whenever  they  wished  to  extol  their 
own  virtues,  or  advance  their  moral  or  pecuniary  interests  in  the 
religious  community.  As  a  constant  dripping  of  water  will  wear 
even  a  stone,  so  their  tirades  of  abuse  were  so  frequent  and  vio 
lent  throughout  the  whole  country,  that  people  at  last  settled 
down  to  accept  the  idea  that  the  bad  things  they  were  constantly 
hearing  of  gamblers  must  be  true,  and  no  viler  criminals  were 
tolerated  by  society.  'Twas  not  the  ignorant  and  uneducated 
alone  who  took  up  these  notions, 'but  they  were  adopted  by  men 


336  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

of  intelligence  and  refinement,  who,  never  having  come  in  con 
tact  with  gamblers,  or  heard  any  defense  of  them,  believed  the 
vituperations  of  their  enemies  to  be  sober  truth. 

In  the  spring  of  1841,  four  gamblers  chartered  a  stage  to  take 
them  from  Selma,  Alabama,  to  Montgomery,  in  the  same  State. 
As  the  coach  was  passing  a  splendid  mansion  on  the  outskirts 
of  the  town,  a  gentlemanly  looking  person  in  clerical  attire  hailed 
it,  and  making  a  motion  to  hand  up  the  valise  he  carried,  desired 
a  passage  to  Benton,  fifteen  miles  further  on.  The  driver  in 
formed  him  that  the  conveyance  was  private,  and  chartered  by 
the  four  gentlemen  inside.  The  gentleman,  on  hearing  this,  ad 
vanced  to  the  coach  and  introduced  himself  to  its  occupants  as 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Breckinridge,  of  Danville,  Ky.,  stating  that  he  was 
engaged  to  deliver  a  lecture  in  Benton  that  evening,  and  begged 
a  passage  to  that  place.  The  gamblers  with  one  accord  invited 
him  to  take  a  seat  in  the  stage.  As  the  coach  rolled  over  the  road, 
the  reverend  Doctor  entertained  his  auditors  with  a  fund  of  anec 
dote  and  information  from  his  well-stocked  mind,  and  conversed 
with  fluency  and  ease  upon  the  topics  of  the  day,  attentively 
listened  to  by  his  orderly  and  appreciative  audience.  One  of 
the  latter,  being  anxious  to  know  in  what  light  their  reverend 
guest  regarded  gamblers,  without  seeming  to  do  so,  led  the  con 
versation  into  that  channel.  With  a  tongue  of  fire  did  the  Doctor 
pitch  into  gamblers;  and  the  more  denunciatory  he  became  of 
their  crimes  and  infamies,  the  more  attentive  and  interested  be 
came  his  listeners.  "  They  (gamblers)  were  a  debased,  depraved, 
besotted  class,  in  both  habits  and  tastes ;  treacherous  and  un 
scrupulous,  and  leaving  no  means  untried  of  destroying  the  honor 
and  happiness  of  the  youth  of  the  country.  The  reverend  gentle 
man  was  now  under  a  full  head  of  steam.  "Why,  gentlemen,"  he 
continued,  "they burned  Mobile  last  winter.  I  suppose  you  have 
heard  of  it  ?"  None  of  his  auditors  had  ever  done  so.  "  Well, 
sirs,  it  is  a  well-ascertained  fact  that  those  frequent  fires  which 
occurred  there  during  the  winter,  were  the  diabolical  work  of 
the  gamblers  living  in  the  city." 

"I  can't  see  why  they  should  wish  to  burn  up  the  city?"  men 
tioned  one  of  his  auditors. 

"  I'll  tell  you,  gentlemen.  Previous  to  last  winter,  the  planters 
were  in  the  habit  of  sending  their  sons  to  Mobile  to  sell  their 
crops,  and  when  they  had  received  the  money  for  the  cotton,  the 


PREJUDICES.  337 

gamblers  of  the  city  caused  them  to  be  decoyed  into  their  places, 
and  robbed  them  of  their  money.  Finding  it  no  longer  safe 
to  entrust  these  sales  to  their  sous,  this  last  winter  the  planters 
themselves  took  their  crops  to  Mobile  and  sold  them,  which,  de 
priving  them  of  their  usual  plunder,  so  enraged  the  gamblers, 
that  they  caused  the  city  to  be  fired." 

"  I  can't  see  how  such  a  proceeding  was  going  to  benefit  them," 
reiterated  the  first  speaker. 

"It  can't,  it  is  true !"  said  the  reverend  speaker,  emphatically; 
"  but  it  shows  to  what  extent  the  miscreants  will  go  for  the  sake 
of  revenge." 

At  this  stage  of  the  proceedings,  an  old  veteran  of  the  gaming 
table  stuck  his  head  out  of  the  window  and  called  to  the  person 
driving,  "  I  say.  driver,  can't  you  give  me  a  seat  outside  ?  It's  a 
leetle  too  damned  hot  for  me  in  here." 

The  coach  was  stopped,  and  room  made  for  the  heated  gentle 
man  beside  the  driver.  Shortly  after,  the  coach  reached  Ben- 
ton,  when  the  Doctor  took  a  cordial  leave  of  his  new  acquaint 
ances,  with  many  professions  of  thanks. 

Dr.  Breckinridge  knew  nothing  of  gaming  or  gamblers,  save 
what  he  had  learned  from  the  lying  and  malicious  reports  of  the 
day.  He  had  never  even  seen  the  inside  of  a  gambling-house, 
nor  been  thrown  into  the  society  of  a  gambler,  that  he  was 
aware  of.  His  prejudices  were  built  upon  the  garbled  reports 
of  newspapers,  which  were  in  every  respect  the  direct  opposite 
of  the  truth.  He  had  read  and  listened  to  these  tirades  of 
abuse  against  gamblers  so  often,  that  his  faith  in  their  veracity 
had  become  as  fixed  in  his  mind  as  the  articles  of  his  creed. 
With  all  his  learning  and  astute  perception,  he  had  never  once 
stopped  to  ask  himself  whether  there  was  room  for  doubt,  and 
if  he  were  not  laboring  under  a  delusion,  as  it  was  only  right  he 
should  have  done,  instead  of  taking  everything  for  granted,  as 
he  had  done.  He  had  merely  looked  at  one  side  of  the  ques 
tion,  without  giving  to  the  other  the  slightest  thought.  The 
press  throughout  the  country  informed  him  solemnly  that  gam 
blers  were  worse  than  pirates,  without  having  their  courage. 
When  it  was  desirable  to  give  to  some  atrocious  villain  a  deeper 
tinge  of  infamy,  he  was  stigmatized  as  a  gambler.  If  a  gang  of 
counterfeiters  flooded  the  country  with  their  forgeries,  it  was  the 
work  of  gamblers.  Should  the  mail  be  robbed,  it  was  done,  or 


333  -VTAXDERIXGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

at  any  rate  planned,  by  gamblers.  If  an  imaginary  insurrection 
was  going  to  take  place  among  the  slaves,  they  were  incited 
thereto  by  gamblers.  No  dark  deed  of  any  sort  could  be  per 
petrated  unless  a  gambler  was  at  the  bottom  of  it. 

A  few  hours  after  the  terrible  tornado  of  1840  had  swept  over 
Natchez,  a  gentleman  who  was  seated  at  the  supper-table  in 
one  of  the  principal  hotels  was  describing  to  some  of  the  guests 
present,  the  fearful  havoc  made  by  it.  Among  his  auditors  was 
a  stuttering  sport,  who  had  frequently  felt  keenly  the  unjust  ac 
cusations  hurled  against  the  fraternity  of  which  he  was  a  worthy 
member  He  seized  the  occasion  to  give  vent  to  his  indignation 
by  stuttering  out,  "  I-I-I-I  sup-p-p-pose  they'll  s-s-say  the  g-g-g- 
gamblers  b-b-brought  the  t-t-tornado  here." 

I  shall  now  endeavor  to  enumerate  the  causes,  or  some  of 
them  at  least,  which  brought  the  gambling  community  into 
such  bad  odor,  and  led  to  the  unjust  prejudices  against  them, 
which  have  existed  for  the  last  thirty  odd  years.  Somewhere 
about  the  year  1835,  a  man  named  Murrill  was  convicted  of 
negro-stealing  in  the  State  of  Tennessee,  and  sentenced  for  ten 
years  to  the  .Nashville  penitentiary.  The  principal  witness 
against  him  was  a  man  named  Stewart.  This  man  published  a 
pamphlet,  which  had  an  extensive  circulation  throughout  the 
country,  and  upon  the  people  living  hi  the  Mississippi  valley  it 
exerted  a  most  pernicious  influence.  Stewart,  in  his  pamphlet, 
related  how  he  had  for  several  months  dogged  the  footsteps  of 
Murrill,  following  him  from  the  State  of  Tennessee  into  those  of 
Mississippi,  Missouri,  and  Arkansas,  and  that  his  labors  were 
finally  rewarded  by  the  discovery  that  Murrill  was  the  chief  of 
a  secret  organization,  a  formidable  band  of  villains,  who  styled 
themselves  ''The  League  of  Secret  Brotherhood."  Having 
adroitly  wormed  himself  into  the  confidence  of  Murrill,  he  drew 
from  him  the  facts  that  the  "League"  numbered  over  3000  mem 
bers,  and  was  composed  of  highwaymen,  negro- thieves,  counter 
feiters,  and  the  entire  gambling  community,  from  the  great 
lakes  to  the  gulf.  Murrill,  as  its  chiet  was  clothed  with  su 
preme  power.  He  appointed  and  removed  subordinates  at 
pleasure.  All  derelictions  from  duty  were  immediately  communi 
cated  to  him  by  his  secret  spies,  and  all  traitors  or  refractory 
officers  or  men  assassinated  by  his  orders.  The  League,  whose 
ramifications  extended  throughout  the  entire  West  and  South- 


PREJUDICES.  339 

west,  was  divided  into  classes,  each  class  roaming  over  the 
country,  and  exercising  its  peculiar  vocation  wherever  it  was 
found  most  profitable.  That  is  to  say,  highwaymen,  negro- 
thieves,  horse-thieves,  gamblers,  and  counterfeiters,  each  pur 
sued  their  calling  in  separate  bands,  but  were  compelled  by  the 
laws  of  the  "League,"  to  aid,  abet,  and  defend  each  other,  should 
occasion  arise.  Each  class  was  commanded  by  a  chief,  who 
was  subject  to  the  order  of  Murrill,  responsible  to  him  for  the 
discipline  of  his  band,  and  whatever  plunder  it  had  captured. 
Members  recognized  each  other  by  secret  signs  and  grips.  Murrill 
soon  became  so  impressed  with  the  idea  that  Stewart  possessed 
extraordinary  ability,  that  he  not  only  initiated  him  into  the 
"League,"  but  made  him  his  chief  lieutenant,  and  after  he  had 
raised  him  to  this  elevated  position,  communicated  to  him  a 
grand  scheme  which  he  had  concocted  and  arranged,  and  was 
now  all  ready  to  put  into  execution,  which  would  enrich  the  en 
tire  brotherhood.  He  stated  to  Stewart  that  his  agents  had, 
during  the  last  year,  been  at  work  among  the  negroes  along  the 
valley  of  the  Mississippi,  preparing  them  for  a  simultaneous  re 
volt  against  their  masters.  To  facilitate  this  movement,  the 
funds  of  the  League  had  been  invested  in  fire-arms  and  ammu 
nition  for  the  same,  from  the  North,  and  a  large  amount  of 
these  were  already  in  the  hands  of  the  slaves  and  their  white 
sympathizers.  He  stated  that  a  few  months  more  would  see  their 
preparations  complete,  and  that  the  following  Christmas  had  been 
selected  as  the  day  on  which  the  rising  should  take  place.  The 
"League"  would  have  its  forces  at  Natchez,  Vicksburg,  and 
New  Orleans,  ready  to  take  instant  advantage  of  the  confusion 
caused  by  the  insurrection,  and  seize  the  treasure  in  the  banks 
of  those  cities,  while  the  slaves  were  killing  their  masters.  It  is 
needless  to  say  that  the  soul  of  Stewart  burned  within  him  to 
rid  the  world  of  such  an  atrocious  villain;  but,  in  order  to  find 
out  all  his  plans,  he  dissembled  and  appeared  delighted  with  the 
scheme.  Like  a  sleuth-hound  he  trailed  the  footsteps  of  his 
victim,  until  he  was  able  to  prove  that  the  great  captain  of  the 
"League"  had  laid  himself  amenable  to  the  law,  by  stealing  a 
slave,  the  property  of  a  widow  woman  in  rather  humble  cir 
cumstances.  Great  criminals  sometimes  stoop  to  rather  petty 
crimes. 
.  The  excitement  created  by  this  pamphlet  in  the  valley  of  the 


340  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

Mississippi  is  not  to  be  described.  It  was  eagerly  perused  by  all 
who  could  read,  and  those  who  could  not,  heard  its  contents  con 
tinually  ventilated  from  the  stump  by  political  demagogues.  To 
express  a  doubt  of  the  truth  of  anything  contained  in  the  pamph 
let  was  to  lay  one's  self  open  to  suspicions  of  being  a  member  of 
the  "  League ; "  consequently  the  mouths  of  thinking  men  were 
closed.  In  such  periods,  when  the  people  are  stirred  to  the 
depths,  and  a  prey  to  anxiety  and  fear,  the  political  and  religious 
demagogue  creeps  into  power.  By  them  the  constituted  author 
ities  are  displaced  and  the  laws  set  aside.  As  they  have  foisted 
themselves  into  power  through  the  doubts  and  fears  of  the  peo 
ple,  so  they  sustain  themselves  in  their  positions,  keeping  them 
constantly  in  dread,  by  the  terrible  idea  that  atrocious  villains 
are  secretly  in  their  midst,  plotting  their  destruction  by  deeds  of 
blood  and  infamy.  Their  trumped-up  tales  of  hidden  danger 
are  listened  to  with  avidity  by  the  people,  until  confidence  is 
destroyed,  and  each  believing  "every  man's  hand  against  him," 
resolves  that  "his  hand 'shall  be  against  every  man."  Their 
fears  induce  the  weak-minded  and  unscrupulous  to  cast  suspi 
cions  upon  others,  in  order  that  they  themselves  may  appear  hon 
est.  Terror  holds  high  carnival,  and  cruelties  worthy  the  vilest 
and  worst  days  of  the  Inquisition  ensue ;  from  which  the  virtu 
ous  and  unoffending  are  by  no  means  exempt.  Such  was  the 
state  of  affairs  created  by  Stewart's  pamphlet  in  many  of  the 
scattered  settlements  along  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi.  Men 
were  hanged,  upon  the  shallowest  pretenses  that  they  were  mem 
bers  of  the  obnoxious  League,  or,  what  was  to  many  quite  as  bad, 
cruelly  lashed  at  the  whipping-post;  the  banishment  of  men 
from  their  homes,  and  the  confiscation  of  all  they  possessed  in 
the  world,  was  considered  a  mild  punishment  by  the  Lynch  courts 
which  everywhere  sprung  up.  The  demagogues  were  unable  in 
Vicksburg  and  Natchez  to  gain  the  confidence  of  the  citizens 
sufficiently  for  them  to  overthrow  the  laws  until  the  following 
event  took  place : 

At  the  time  of  which  I  write  Vicksburg  was  the  central  point 
of  speculation  in  the  Southwest,  on  account  of  the  sales  of  rich 
cotton  lands  taking  place  aFthat  period,  in  its  vicinity.  Adventu 
rous  spirits  of  every  description  gathered  there,  in  hopes  of  bet 
tering  their  pecuniary  condition ;  the  country  was  flooded  with 
"wild-cat"  money,  then  circulated  at  par;  and  in  the  mania  for 


PEEJTJDICES.  341 

i 

speculation  every  one  seemed  more  or  less  carried  away.  For 
tunes  were  made  and  lost  in  a  single  day.  Gamblers  flocked 
there  from  all  parts  of  the  Union,  and  at  least  fifty  banks  were 
opened  in  the  city,  nearly  all  of  which  did  a  thriving  business,  in 
spite  of  the  abuse  heaped  upon  their  owners  by  the  press  of  the 
city.  Aside  from  their  profession,  nothing  derogatory  to  their 
character  or  behavior  could  be  alleged  against  them ;  they  were 
quiet  and  orderly  in  all  their  habits,  and  the  soul  of  probity  in  all 
their  dealings.  But  owing  to  the  feeling  against  them,  and  the 
vituperations  showered  upon  them  by  the  press,  they  were  final-  J/ 
ly  compelled  to  flee  from  the  place,  in  order  to  escape  the  unrea 
soning  vengeance  of  an  infuriated  mob. 

The  Fourth  of  July  in  1835  was  celebrated  with  more  than 
usual  spendor  by  the  citizens  of  Vicksburg,  and  to  enhance  ita 
glories  the  militia  soldiery  of  Natchez  had  come  up  the  river  to 
assist  in  the  glorification.  While  dinner  was  going  forward,  a 
ruffian,  named  Cobbler,  inspired  thereto  by  the  potent  spirit  of 
old  rye,  amused  himself  by  walking  over  the  tables,  among  the 
dishes  with  which  they  were  laid.  Some  of  his  friends  laid  vio 
lent  hands  on  him,  captured  and  took  him  from  the  room.  This 
outrageous  conduct  created  a  terrible  excitement,  and  the  report 
was  somehow  circulated  that  Cobbler  was  a  professional  gamb 
ler,  which  was  entirely  false.  He  was  a  blacksmith  of  Natchez, 
and  while  living  there  had  gained  some  celebrity  as  a  pugilist. 
Considering  it  an  easier  mode  of  life  than  that  of  plying  a 
sledge-hammer,  he  threw  up  the  latter  and  devoted  his  whole 
attention  to  the  cultivation  of  the  manly  art.  Like  most  charac 
ters  of  his  kind,  he  hung  around  gambling-houses  and  preyed 
upon  gamblers  for  support,  and  was,  therefore,  as  is  almost  in 
variably  the  case,  considered  by  the  sapient  public  a  gambler. 
This  outrage  might  have  passed  off  in  the  ordinary  way,  and 
without  creating  any  unusual  amount  of  disturbance,  had  not  a 
few  demagogues  taken  advantage  of  it  to  inflame  the  passions  of 
the  citizens  of  the  place  against  the  gamblers.  A  public  meeting 
was  called,  which,  in  the  excitement  of  the  hour,  was  largely  at 
tended,  and  the  crowd  was  addressed  by  speakers  who  intem- 
perately  advocated  the  expulsion  by  violence,  from  their  midst,  of 
every  gambler  in  the  city.  Eesolutions  to  that  effect  were  carried 
almost  without  a  dissenting  voice.  No  time  for  consideration 
was  taken  by  the  meeting,  or  to  ascertain  whether  the  gamblers 


342  WANDERINGS  OP  A  VAGABOND. 

of  the  place  were  in  any  way  responsible  for  the  outrage  commit 
ted  by  Cobbler,  or  whether  he  "was  a  gambler;  that  was  not 
what  the  demagogues,  who  were  pulling  the  wires  of  their  pup 
pets,  the  people,  were  aiming  at.  On  the  spur  of  the  moment  a 
vigilance  committee  was  organized  with  avowedly  the  express 
intention  of  forcibly  ridding  the  city  of  all  gamblers  within  its 
limits.  Many  of  the  more  respectable  citizens  of  the  place  ex 
pressed  their  disapprobation  of  such  summary  proceedings,  but 
the  public  mind,  already  at  fever-heat  from  the  reading  of 
Stewart's  pamphlet  and  the  violent  attacks  of  the  press  upon 
gamblers,  was  in  no  condition  to  listen  to  the  remonstrances  of 
their  peace  and  order  loving  townsmen. 

Facing  the  steamboat  landing  was  a  low  groggery,  the  resort 
of  third-rate  sharpers  and  river  thieves  of  all  descriptions,  and 
extensively  patronized  by  the  lower  orders  of  boatmen,  who  were 
frequently  swindled  out  of  their  earnings  there,  or  followed  by 
some  of  its  inmates  or  frequenters,  and  knocked  down  and  rob 
bed  on  the  dark  levee.  A  24  No.  roulette  wheel  was  the  only 
instrument  appertaining  to  a  banking  game  of  chance  about  the 
premises,  and  the  only  show  the  patrons  of  the  place  had  to 
win,  should  they  desire  to  hazard  their  money  outside  of  games 
of  cards  with  their  immediate  friends.  The  brawls  and  frequent 
robberies  taking  place  at  this  disreputable  establishment  had 
brought  down  upon  it  the  loud  disapprobation  of  the  citizens, 
and  even  the  river  men  had,  at  various  times,  threatened  to  tear 
it  down.  Upon  this  resort,  then,  did  the  committee  make  their 
first  attack,  ordering  its  proprietor  to  close  up  his  place  and 
leave  the  city — a  thing  he  flatly  refused  to  do.  A  company  of 
about  thirty  lynchers  were  sent  to  the  obnoxious  house  under 
orders  to  tear  it  down  and  seize  all  its  inmates.  They  approached 
the  premises  in  double  file  to  the  music  of  a  fife  and  drum,  and 
armed  with  guns  and  other  weapons,  when,  after  they  had  got 
within  a  very  short  distance,  a  volley  was  fired  from  the  house 
into  their  ranks,  killing  and  wounding  several ;  among  the  first, 
the  leader  of  the  party.  This  unlooked-for  reception,  together 
with  the  fall  of  their  leader,  caused  the  attacking  party  to  beat 
a  hasty  retreat.  The  proprietor  of  the  house,  instead  of  aban 
doning  it,  foolishly  determined  to  defend  it  with  his  life,  and 
being  joined  by  three  friends  as  reckless  and  foolhardy  as  him- 
feelf,  they  had  armed  themselves  and  prepared  for  the  siege. 


PKEJUDICES.  343 

The  place  being  but  a  mere  shanty  built  of  pine  boards,  could 
offer  no  resistance  of  any  account  of  itself  to  the  lynchers,  but 
the  inmates,  on  the  spur  of  the  moment,  had  piled  furniture  and 
whatever  loose  lumber  they  could  lay  their  hands  on,  against 
the  doors,  pierced  the  sides  of  the  shanty  with  port-holes,  from 
which  to  fire  on  the  advancing  foe,  and  thus  awaited  the  return 
of  the  lynchers.  The  latter,  after  their  repulse,  retreated  some 
distance  from  the  house  and  sent  for  reinforcements.  On  the 
arrival  of  these,  a  cordon  of  sentinels  surrounded  the  place  at  a 
respectful  distance,  in  order  to  prevent  any  of  the  inmates  from 
making  their  escape.  A  cannon  was  procured,  a  few  shots  from 
which  sent  the  rickety  old  shell  tumbling  about  the  ears  of  its 
defenders,  who  were  all  captured.  The  four  men  were  then, 
without  a  moment's  delay,  dragged  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  and, 
without  even  the  form  of  a  trial,  hanged  on  a  tree.  One  of  the 
victims  was  the  man  who  run  the  roulette  game,  and  the  center 
of  the  wheel  was  tied  up  to  his  dangling  body.  On  the  morning 
subsequent  to  the  hanging,  the  wife  of  the  man  who  kept  the 
place  came  and  begged  the  body  of  her  husband,  that  she 
might  give  it  decent  burial ;  but  instead  of  granting  this  pious 
request,  the  leader  of  the  lynchers  drove  her  away  with  curses 
and  insults  not  mentionable  to  ears  polite.  I  met  the  brute  in 
Brownsville,  Texas,  eleven  years  later.  He  was  a  debased  and 
drunken  sot,  so  low  that  he  was  more  an  object  of  pity  than  re 
sentment,  though  the  finger  of  scorn  had  never  ceased  to  be 
pointed  at  him  as  one  of  the  stranglers  of  Vicksburg. 

Shortly  after  the  repulse  of  the  first  body  of  lynchers,  and  the 
death  of  its  leader,  guards  were  stationed  around  the  steamboat 
landing,  to  prevent  any  of  the  gamblers  from  making  their  es 
cape.  Bodies  of  lynchers  were  also  sent  to  patrol  every  avenue 
of  escape  from  the  city.  But  before  they  had  thought  of  taking 
these  precautions,  many  of  the  gamblers,  warned  of  the  coming 
storm,  had  sought  safety  on  a  timely  steamer  bound  to  New  Or 
leans  from  Vicksburg,  and  which  left  before  the  fatal  shots  were 
fired.  Cobbler,  the  cause  of  all  the  disturbance,  also  made  his 
escape  on  the  same  steamer.  A  few  gamblers,  conscious  of  com 
mitting  no  crime,  and  therefore  expecting  no  violence,  decided 
on  remaining  until  the  excitement  should  have  blown  over. 
When  the  news  of  the  killing  of  the  lynch  leader  spread  through 
the  city  like  wild-fire,  they  began  to  apprehend  danger.  Fol- 


344  -WANDERINGS  OP  A  VAGABOND. 

lowing  fast  on  this  startling  news,  the  cry  arose  of  "Death  to 
gamblers!"  If  these  ominous  words,  following  fast  on  the  heels 
of  the  killing  of  the  leader  of  those  who  sent  up  the  shout,  failed 
to  convince  the  most  skeptical  or  blanch  the  cheek  of  the  brav 
est  among  them,  the  summary  hanging  of  the  four  men  con 
vinced  them  that  their  lives  hung  trembling  in  the  balance. 
Many  citizens,  among  whom  were  officers  of  the  law,  gave  to 
them  asylums  in  their  houses  until  the  storm  had  passed,  when 
they  -were  smuggled  on  board  steamers.  A  planter  living  seven 
miles  from  the  city  sheltered  five  of  them  until  they  were  able  to 
make  their  escape  by  a  passing  steamer  bound  for  New  Orleans. 

A  gambler  named  James  Hoard,  being  unable  to  get  on  board 
the  steamer  which  carried  off  the  first  party  from  the  city,  be 
came  very  uneasy.  He  scanned  the  river  with  longing  eyes  both 
up  and  down,  in  hopes  another  steamer  would  heave  in  sight, 
but  he  was  doomed  to  disappointment. 

While  in  this  unenviable  state  of  mind,  the  news  of  the  killing 
of  the  leader,  and  wounding  of  two  others  of  the  lynchers, 
reached  him.  The  tidings  sent  a  cold  chill  to  the  heart  of  Hoard. 
He  started  for  his  hotel  with  a  rapid  step,  determined  to  lock 
himself  up  in  his  room,  and  await  the  issue  of  events.  Scarcely 
iiad  he  gained  the  doors  of  this  asylum,  when  the  shout,  "Death 
to  gamblers ! "  fell  like  the  sentence  of  doom  upon  his  ears.  From 
that  moment  his  memory  was  a  blank,  until  he  found  himself 
seated  astride  a  log  in  the  midst  of  a  swamp  five  miles  below  the 
city,  where  he  remained  all  night,  listening,  as  he  expressed  it, 
"to  an  orchestra  composed  of  shrieking  owls  and  growling 
frogs."  By  dint  of  swimming  and  wading,  after  daylight  again 
visited  him,  he  managed  to  reach  "  terra  fir  ma;"  and  soon  dis 
covered,  to  his  great  joy,  that  he  wa3  but  a  very  short  distance 
from  the  river.  In  a  few  hours  a  steamer  on  her  way  to  New 
Orleans  was  hailed  by  him,  and  at  his  request  he  was  taken  on 
board.  Anxious  to  know  what  sort  of  an  appearance  he 
presented  after  his  forced  vigil,  he  walked  up  to  one  of  the  hand 
some  mirrors  with  which  the  cabin  was  adorned.  It  was  some 
time  before  he  could  convince  himself  that  the  image  there  re 
flected  was  that  of  the  "bona-fide"  Jimmy  Hoard.  The  raven 
locks  which  had  yesterday  adorned  his  cranium  were  turned  to 
an  iron  gray. 

" — grew  it  white  in  a  single  night, 

As  men's  have  grown  through  sudden  fear." 


PREJUDICES.  345 

In  those  sluggish  days,  no  telegraph  wires  flashed  the  news 
to  the  four  quarters  of  the  Union,  and  the  next  morning 
told  it  to  the  dwellers  in  all  the  larger  cities,  at  breakfast, 
through  the  medium  of  the  daily  journals.  Post-boys,  stages, 
and  steamers,  then  informed  the  people  of  the  United  States 
that  they  were  indebted  to  the  worthy  and  virtuous  citizens 
of  Vicksburg,  for  the  stringing  up  of  four  abandoned  wretches 
of  the  genus  gambler,  and  called  upon  society  in  general 
to  be  properly  grateful.  But  society  was  in  this  case,  as  in 
many  others,  grossly  imposed  upon  by  false  representations. 
Neither  of  the  four  strangled  unfortunates  were  gamblers,  as  the 
press  of  that  day,  and  long  afterwards,  boldly  asserted.  That 
the  mob  would  not  have  scrupled  to  hang  a  myriad  of  gamblers, 
could  they  have  lain  hands  on  them,  is  a  matter  no  one  is  likely 
to  dispute ;  the  attention  is  merely  called  to  the  lying  reports  of 
the  press  of  those  days,  which  seems,  certainly,  to  be  more 
pleased  to  have  published  a  lie,  than  a  plain,  unvarnished  fact. 
The  man  who  turned  the  roulette  wheel  was  the  only  one 
among  them  who  could,  in  any  sense,  be  called  a  gambler ;  and 
a  low  one  indeed  he  must  have  been,  to  pursue  his  calling  in  so 
low  a  den.  Gamblers,  properly  speaking,  have  never  yet  toler 
ated  the  society  of  men  whose  associates  were  low  thieves,  if 
they  knew  it,  or,  in  fact,  high  ones  either.  The  four  hanged 
wretches  were  all  reckless  desperadoes,  capable,  no  doubt,  of 
committing  the  darkest  crimes,  if  one  may  judge  from  the  com 
pany  they  kept;  but  the  fact  still  stands  good,  that,  by  the  laws 
of  every  civilized  country  on  earth,  they  were  justified  in  protect 
ing  their  home  against  the  attacks  of  a  lawless  mob,  nor  will  all 
the  fine  phrases  in  the  English 'language  convince  right-minded 
and  reflecting  people  that  the  men  who  so  summarily  sent  them 
before  their  Maker,  were  more  or  less  than  cowardly  assassins. 

Stewart's  pamphlets  and  the  Vicksburg  tragedy  were  the 
precursors  of  every  sort  of  persecution  to  gamblers.  They  were 
looked  upon  in  the  South  and  Southwest  as  land  pirates. 
Shortly  after  the  Vicksburg  affair,  placards  were  posted  in  most 
of  the  lar<re  towns  and  cities  of  the  South  and  Southwest,  warn 
ing  gamblers  to  leave,  and  not  to  return,  under  penalty  of  the 
same  fate.  In  the  cities  of  Memphis,  Nashville,  Louisville,  and 
St.  Louis,  mobs  arose  with  the  avowed  design  of  hanging  every 
gambler  they  could  lay  hands  upon;  but  hi  such  times  it  is 


346  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

generally  not  very  easy  to  catch  the  gamblers  to  hang.  A  mob 
was  also  organized  for  the  same  purpose  in  Cincinnati ;  but,  un 
fortunately,  its  humane  intentions  were  frustrated  by  a  procla 
mation  of  the  Mayor,  declaring  that  gamblers  were  entitled  to 
the  same  protection  enjoyed  by  the  other  citizens,  and,  in  the 
event  of  any  disturbance  occurring,  or  any  violence  being 
attempted,  he  should  deal  with  the  offenders  according  to  law. 
In  Baltimore,  the  indignant  mob  razed  to  the  ground  a  gambling- 
house  kept  by  a  man  named  Johnston. 

During  these  exciting  times  gamblers  usually  made  "discretion 
the  better  part  of  valor,"  and  disappeared  until  the  storm  had 
passed  over;  or,  as  it  was  termed  by  the  press,  the  "public 
indignation  "  had  subsided,  when  they  "  came  forth  from  their 
vile  dens  like  adders  tempted  forth  by  the  sunshine."  The  press 
of  the  country,  however,  kept  the  public  hate  and  loathing  for 
gamblers  alive  by  its  constant  vituperations  and  assertions  of 
unfair  and  unjust  dealing,  and  neither  the  demagogue  on  his 
stump  nor  the  preacher  in  his  pulpit  failed  to  add  his  influence 
to  theirs.  Such  was  the  effect  of  all  this,  that  the  unfortunate 
objects  found  themselves  beyond  the  pale  of  the  laws,  the  legiti 
mate  prey  of  fraud  and  violence.  Should  his  money  be  snatched 
or  otherwise  taken  from  him  by  force,  the  press  endorsed  the 
glorious  act,  and  the  moral  portion  of  the  community  was  so  de 
lighted  at  the  cute  trick,  that  it  indulged  in  a  general  laugh,  and 
shook  hands  all  round.  The  police  officer  who,  by  fraud  or 
violence,  could  capture  a  party  of  gamblers  while  at  play,  and 
rob  them  of  their  gambling  tools  and  money,  had  made  his  mark 
on  the  shifting  sand  of  the  world's  good  opinion. 

While  these  feelings  and  opinions  respecting  the  fraternity 
were  at  their  height,  a  fellow  by  the  name  of  J.  H.  Greene,  better 
known  as  "  Greene,  the  reformed  gambler,"  furnished  to  a  young 
Kentuckian  the  material  for  writing  a  book,  purporting  to  be  an 
exposition  of  the  manners,  customs,  and  habits  of  the  gambling 
community,  and  also  pretended  to  expose  their  methods  of  con 
ducting  their  swindling  games  and  other  operations.  His  book 
was  favorably  received,  and  created  considerable  sensation.  The 
times  were  ripe  for  it,  and  the  public  was  ready  to  swallow  any 
tale,  however  preposterous,  to  the  discredit  of  gamblers,  no  dif 
ference  how  vile  or  monstrous.  No  charlatan  had  ever  a  larger 
field  for  his  operations,  or  so  many  credulous  subjects  ready  and 


PREJUDICES.  347 

willing — nay,  more,  eager  to  be  humbugged.  His  book  taught, 
first,  that  all  gamblers  were  thieves ;  secondly,  that  they  never 
played  on  the  square;  thirdly,  that  faro  had  less  percentage 
than  any  other  banking  game,  and  that  it  was  twenty  per  cent, 
worse  than  stealing,  anyhow.  The  moral  Mr.  Greene,  finding 
his  falsehoods  swallowed  with  such  avidity,  now  took  a  tour 
through  the  country,  lecturing  in  all  the  towns  of  any  size,  on 
gambling,  and  giving  illustrations  of  the  different  methods  of 
cheating  at  cards,  dice,  etc.  While  lecturing  he  clearly  demon 
strated  to  his  audience  that  he  could  read  by  their  backs  the 
suits  and  denomination  of  every  sort  of  playing-card  manufac 
tured. 

When  this  immaculate  gentleman  had  finished  his  disquisition 
on  the  manners,  habits,  and  practices  of  gamblers,  their  several 
modes  of  cheating,  pulling  two  cards  at  faro,  palming,  stocking, 
thimble-rigging,  bottom-dealing,  dice-cogging,  etc.,  he  was  accus 
tomed  to  announce  to  his  audience  that  every  playing-card  manu 
factured  was  stamped  with  secret  signs,  which  were  readable  by 
every  gambler  in  the  world,  but  which,  to  the  uninitiated,  meant 
nothing ;  and  to  demonstrate  the  truth  of  his  assertion  he  would 
take  a  coin  from  his  pocket  and  desire  that  some  one  would  fetch 
from  the  nearest  place,  where  they  were  procurable,  a  pack  of 
cards.  If,  as  happened  in  ninety-nine  cases  out  of  every  hundred, 
no  one  volunteered,  each  one  waiting  for  his  neighbor  to  do  so,  a 
capper  stepped  from  the  audience,  took  the  money,  disappeared, 
and  shortly  reappeared  with  a  stamped  pack  of  cards,  which  he 
presented  to  the  sanctimonious  Greene.  That  spotless  worthy 
now  shuffled  them  in  full  view  of  the  people,  and  would  then  tell 
his  astonished  audience  the  suit  and  size  of  each  card  as  it  lay 
on  the  pack,  face  downward,  before  exposing  it  to  the  gaze  of 
his  bewildered  and  startled  hearers. 

Should  any  adventurous  gentleman  among  the  spectators, 
having  before  his  eyes  the  fear  of  being  humbugged,  snatch  the 
coin,  and  himself  rush  out  in  search  of  a  pack,  or  have  &n  hand 
one  of  his  own  private  packs,  Greene  was  prepared  for  such  an 
emergency.  He  would  take  the  pack  from  the  hands  of  his 
doubtful  auditor,  and  calling  the  attention  of  his  audience  by 
telling  them  to  watch  him  closely  and  be  sure  he  did  not  change 
it,  commence  shuffling.  After  he  had  done  so  he  would  aston 
ish  his  gaping  auditors  by  reading  each  size  and  suit  correctly 


348  'WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

from  the  back  as  easily  as  he  had  done  the  stamped  ones.  So 
cleverly  did  he  accomplish  this  trick,  that  some  of  the  most  prac 
tical  gamblers  of  the  day  tried  to  acquaint  themselves  with  the 
"  modus-operandi,"  and  failed  to  do  so,  though  perfectly  well 
satisfied  that  a  fraud  existed  somewhere.  His  lectures  were  at 
tended  by  philosophers,  practical  scientific  men,  astute  lawyers, 
learned  legislators,  shrewd  thieves,  and  cunning  detectives,  not 
one  of  whom  doubted  that  Greene  was  a  true  disciple  of  honesty; 
but  not  a  few  gamblers  knew  him  to  be  a  fraud,  but  had  not  the 
power,  or,  to  speak  more  correctly,  the  courage,  to  expose  him. 
His  trick,  when  known,  was,  as  is  usual  in  such  cases,  exceedingly 
simple.  A  small  piece  of  looking-glass  being  inserted  or  laid 
upon  the  desk  when  he  was  lecturing,  showed  him  the  face  of 
the  card  as  he  removed  it  from  the  pack. 

According  to  Greene's  account  of  himself,  he  was  the  associate 
of  the  thieves,  desperadoes,  and  counterfeiters  who  infested  the 
banks  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers  from  Cincinnati  to  New 
Orleans,  for  the  space  of  fifteen  years.  His  gambling  seems  to 
have  been  a  petty  career  of  playing  swindling  games  of  short  cards 
on  steamers,  by  playing  on  the  unwary  and  verdant,  stamped  and 
marked  cards,  or  giving  them  large  hands  at  "  all-fours,"  poker, 
brag,  euchre,  etc.,  and  beating  them  with  better  ones.  When 
not  engaged  in  the  immaculate  manner  described,  he  followed 
up  fairs  and  race-courses,  and  other  public  gatherings,  where  he 
entertained  the  verdant  with  cogged  dice  and  thimble-rigging. 
It  is  believed  by  many  shrewd  old  gamblers  that  revenge  was 
the  motive  which  induced  the  pious  Greene  to  change  his  mode  of 
life.  In  those  days  it  was  customary  for  master  sharpers  to  hire 
the  privilege  of  race-courses.  One  of  these  enterprising  worth-  * 
ies,  named  John  Campbell,  secured,  about  1847,  the  gambling 
privilege  of  the  race-track  at  Richmond.  While  operating  with 
his  horde  of  low  sharpers  inside  in  the  gambling  booth,  several 
nomadic  brethren  of  the  lower  orders  had  opened  their  games  of 
chuck,  strap,  and  thimble-game  outside  the  track,  and  near  to 
the  gate ;  among  these  was  Greene,  who  was  running  a  small 
chuck-table.  Mr.  Campbell,  regarding  these  outsiders  in  the 
light  of  an  infringement  on  his  privileges,  sent  several  of  his 
hired  bullies  to  disperse  them,  "  vi  et  armis."  In  the  general 
melee  which  ensued,  Greene  received  a  most  unmerciful  beating. 
This  outrage  upon  his  person  may  have  given  him  serious 


PREJUDICES.  349 

notions  of  book-making,  and  made  him  burn  to  expose  the  prac 
tices  and  tricks  of  gamblers  to  the  whole  world ;  but  to  my  mind 
the  gain  he  expected  to  get  from  his  exposition  was  quite  as  po 
tent  a  reason  as  the  desire  for  revenge,  and  the  main  object  of 
his  reformation.  However,  be  that  as  it  may,  I  have  never  yet 
found  a  single  gambler  willing  to  admit  that  he  ever  knew 
Greene  to  be  engaged  in  or  connected  with  any  square  game  in 
his  life,  of  any  description  whatever,  nor  in  his  autobiography 
does  he  once  speak  of  being  connected  with  a  first-class  square 
gambler,  and  mentions  but  a  single  instance  of  ever  being  in  their 
rooms,  when  he  speaks  gratefully  of  the  kind  treatment  he  there 
received,  and  also  of  the  gentlemanly  and  hospitable  manners  of 
its  proprietors.  It  is  wonderful  how  this  low  and  debased  fraud 
should  have  deceived  some  of  the  brightest  intellects  in  the  coun 
try.  His  false  representations  again  aroused,  in  all  its  virulence, 
the  feeling  against  gamblers,  and  to  such  a  pitch  did  it  run  that 
the  States  of  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Maryland,  Ken- 
tukcy,  Alabama,  Tennessee,  and  even  Congress,  for  the  District  of 
Columbia,  passed  severe  laws  against  gaming.  In  some  of  these 
States  the  dealing  of  a  banking  game  of  chance  was  punishable 
by  two  years  in  the  State's  prison  j  while  in  others  the  penalty 
was  five.  Officers  of  justice,  even,  in  many  cases,  would  warn 
offenders  of  the  danger  they  stood  in  from  the  law;  therefore 
these  ultra  severe  measures  defeated  themselves.  Finally  the 
majority  of  the  States  repealed  these  very  stringent  laws  a  few 
years  after  passing  them  ;  but  in  the  States  of  New  York,  Penn 
sylvania,  Ohio,  Maryland,  and  also  in  the  District  of  Columbia, 
they  are  still  on  the  statute-books,  though  virtually  a  dead 
letter. 

None  stand  higher  as  a  class,  in  the  scale  of  probity,  than  gamb 
lers.  The  envious  and  jealous  are  certainly  to  be  found  among 
them,  as  among  other  classes  of  men,  but  few  who  are  meanly 
avaricious;  and,  taken  as  a  body,  they  are  surpassed  in  generosity 
and  liberality  by  none.  In  the  scale  of  morals  they  will  compare 
favorably  with  any  class  in  this  country ;  and  if  the  record  of 
crime  be  any  proof  of  my  assertion,  statistics  show  that  in  our 
States  prisons  may  be  found  men  from  every  walk  of  life,  ex 
cept  the  gamblers.  And  not  a  single  one  has,  by  the  laws  of  the 
land,  expiated  his  crime  upon  the  gallows  throughout  the  length 
and  breadth  of  this  great  republic.  Charles  Cora  was,  indeed, 


350  -WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

hanged  by  the  Vigilance  Committee  of  San  Francisco,  and  Mum- 
ford  by  a  military  tribunal  in  New  Orleans;  and  the  taking-off 
of  either  of  these  men  has  never  added  much  to  the  credit  of 
their  executioners.  Richardson,  the  U.  S.  Marshal  whom  Cora 
killed,  was  a  Baltimore  Plug-Ugly,  and  a  shooter  and  stabber  of 
the  first  water ;  and  when  in  a  state  of  intoxication,  which  was 
not  seldom,  used  his  weapon  with  the  most  sublime  disregard  of 
the  safety  of  friend  or  foe.  While  on  one  of  his  periodical  sprees, 
which  always  lasted  him  three  or  four  days,  he  encountered 
Cora  at  the  Cosmopolitan  Coffee  House,  on  Montgomery  Street, 
for  the  first  time ;  an  altercation  ensued  which  resulted  in  Rich 
ardson's  drawing  a  Derringer  and  trying  to  fire  it  at  Cora ;  but 
before  he  could  carry  out  his  design  he  was  disarmed  by  his 
friends  and  taken  away.  On  the  following  evening  the  parties 
again  met  at  the  same  place  as  before,  and,  through  the  media 
tion  of  friends,  a  reconciliation  was  effected,  and  they  drank  to 
gether  as  a  symbol  that  all  hard  feelings  were  drowned  between 
them.  Immediately  afterwards  Richardson  took  Cora  by  the 
arm  and  desired  him  to  take  a  walk  with  him,  which  the  latter 
foolishly  consented  to  do.  It  was  now  about  eight  o'clock;  the 
night  was  dark,  and  five  minutes  did  not  elapse,  after  they  start 
ed  out,  before  the  report  of  a  pistol  ruhg  out  on  the  night  air, 
and  every  person  in  the  crowd  started  for  the  spot  from  whence 
the  report  seemed  to  come.  On  arriving,  the  body  of  Richard 
son  was  discovered  lying  across  the  iron  grating  which  covered 
the  pavement  before  a  large  mercantile  establishment  one  block 
away  from  the  Cosmopolitan.  Beside  tbe  dead  body  of  Richard 
son  lay  a  Derringer  pistol;  the  scabbard  of  his  bowie-knife, 
fastened  to  his  waistband,  was  empty,  the  knife  itself  having 
dropped  into  the  cellar  beneath,  where  it  was  afterwards  found. 
Cora  was  arrested,  a  few  moments  after  the  killing  was  done, 
about  a  hundred  yards  from  the  scene  of  the  tragedy.  Upon  his 
person  were  found  two  Derringers,  one  loaded  and  one  empty, 
and  showing  that  it  had  been  discharged  but  a  few  moments  since. 
This  was  the  substance  of  all  the  evidence  alleged  against  Cora 
on  the  trial,  which  took  place  while  public  opinion  was  inflamed 
against  him  to  the  highest  pitch,  lashed  by  a  licentious  pi'ess  in 
to  fury,  for  no  other  reason  except  that  Richardson  had  borne 
the  honorable  title  of  U.  S.  Marshal,  while  his  murderer  was 
nothing  in  the  estimation  of  the  people  but  a  vile  gambler.  In 


PREJUDICES,  351 

those  days  it  was  not  customary  for  a  murderer  to  get  into  the 
witness-box  and  give  testimony  in  his  own  behalf ;  consequently 
what  took  place  between  Cora  and  Richardson,  after  they  left 
the  Cosmopolitan  Coffee  House,  remained,  as  far  as  the  jury  and 
the  public  in  general  were  concerned,  a  profound  mystery.  But 
being,  as  I  was,  acquainted  with  both  men,  I  see  no  reason  to 
doubt  the  truth  of  the  version  given  by  Cora,  while  in  prison,  to 
Ms  friend,  James  Horton,  or  his  counsel,  Mr.  McDougal.  It  cer 
tainly  bears  to  my  mind  every  semblance  of  truth. 

Cora's  statement  was  to  the  effect  that,  soon  after  they  reached 
the  pavement,  Richardson  brought  up  the  subject  of  their  last 
night's  dispute,  and  insisted  that  he  (Cora)  should  acknowledge 
himself  wrong  in  the  whole  matter,  which  he  emphatically  re 
fused  to  do.  This  altercation  continued  until  they  had  reached 
the  end  of  the  block,  still  walking  arm  in  arm,  and  turned  down 
a  side  street.  They  continued  thus  to  walk  forward  until  they 
had  gone  several  yards,  Richardson  still  arguing,  and  trying  to 
induce  Cora  to  acknowledge  himself  the  aggressor  on  the  night 
before.  Cora  still  refusing,  Richardson  suddenly  stopped,  and 
pushing  his  companion  up  against  the  side  of  a  building,  and 
holding  him  with  his  left  hand  in  such  a  manner  that  he  could 
not  escape,  while  with  his  right  hand  he  made  a  motion  as  if  to 
draw  from  his  belt  his  bowie-knife,  and  demanded  that  he  should 
confess  he  had  done  him  a  grievous  wrong.  Cora  said  he  had 
kept  his  own  hand  on  his  Derringer  ever  since  his  companion 
had  mooted  the  disagreeable  subject,  but  that  he  also  tried  in 
every  way  to  conciliate  him,  short  of  the  shameful  acknowledg 
ment  he  wished  to  extort  from  him.  The  moment  Richardson 
attempted  to  draw  his  knife  to  enforce  his  demands,  the  contents 
of  the  Derringer  were  discharged  into  his  heart.  The  jury  fail 
ing  to  agree  on  a  verdict,  Cora  was  remanded  to  prison  to  await 
a  new  trial.  Shortly  after  these  events,  James  King,  of  Wan, 
editor  of  the  San  Francisco  Evening  Bulletin,  was  shot  down  in 
the  streets  by  one  James  P.  Casey,  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Supervisors,  and  the  owner  of  a  weekly  newspaper  published  in 
that  city  King  had  published  in  his  paper  a  scurrilous  article 
reflecting  on  Casey,  for  which  he  was  shot  down  by  the  latter  on 
the  street  in  cold  blood.  The  indignation  caused  by  this  das 
tardly  act  culminated  in  the  organization  of  a  Vigilance  Com 
mittee.  Its  first  act  was  to  avenge  the  death  of  King  by  hang- 


352  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

ing  Casey,  and,  without  the  remotest  shadow  of  law  to  justify  the 
brutal  act,  hung  Cora  also  with  him.  The  avowed  purpose  of 
the  Committee  was  to  rid  the  city  of  its  political  rowdies  and 
ballot-box  stuffers.  Cora  was  never  identified  vith  these  classes, 
nor  did  he  anywhere  bear  the  reputation  of  a  dangerous  man. 
The  man  Mumford,  hung  by  General  Butler  for  tearing  down 
from  the  Mint  the  United  States  flag,  was  naturally  a  half  idiot, 
and  what  little  brains  he  ever  possessed  were  crazed  by  the  ex 
cessive  use  of  liquor.  The  world  applauded  when  he  was  hang 
ed  for  tearing  down  the  flag — an  act  which  he  never  perpetrated. 
A  Kanaka  boy  ascended  to  the  roof  of  the  Mint,  climbed  the  pole, 
detatched  the  banner,  and  threw  it  into  the  street.  Mumford, 
who  happened  to  be  there,  picked  it  up,  and  dragged  it  after  him 
through  the  muddy  street,  at  the  same  time  tearing  it  in  pieces, 
and  distributing  it  in  a  braggadocio  manner  to  those  whom  he 
met.  Of  course  a  crowd  gathered  about  him,  and  an  army  of 
boys  followed  at  his  heels,  to  see  the  fun.  None  but  fools  or 
lunatics  commit  such  barefaced  follies.  Butler  might  have  con 
sidered  Mumford  a  fit  subject  of  which  to  make  an  example ; 
but  it  would  have  spoken  better  for  humanity  in  general,  and 
added  far  more  to  the  credit  of  our  nation,  had  he,  instead  of 
consigning  the  unfortunate  wretch  to  the  rope  of  the  hangman, 
placed  him  in  an  asylum  for  lunatics. 

There  has  never  been  in  our  country  a  more  law-abiding  class 
of  citizens  than  the  gamblers.  I  know,  in  the  whole  course  of  my 
roving  existence,  of  but  a  single  instance  of  one  being  concerned 
in  a  Vigilance  Committee  or  a  lynching  party  of  any  description. 
In  our  new  States  and  territories,  where  the  mobocracy  so  often 
trampled  under  foot  the  constituted  authority,  among  the  first 
persons  called  upon  by  the  rightful  officers  of  the  law,  to  assist 
in  sustaining  their  authority,  were  the  gamblers.  In  their  bravery 
and  loyalty  the  utmost  confidence  was  placed. 

In  his  habits  the  gambler  is,  in  ninety-nine  cases  out  of  every 
hundred,  excessively  clean.  Cleanliness  in  his  creed  is  far 
ahead  of  godliness.  Personal  purity  is  with  him  an  indispensa 
ble  necessity.  He  lives  on  the  best  he  can  procure,  and  sur 
rounds  himself  and  family,  should  he  possess  one,  with  every 
comfort  and  luxury  he  can  compass.  This  is  true  both  of  his 
home  and  his  gambling-house.  He  there  treats  his  friends  with 
the  greatest  liberality  and  hospitality.  In  manners  he  is  cour- 


PREJUDICES.  353 

teous  and  affable,  and  seldom,  even  when  young  and  ignorant, 
shows  rudeness  to  strangers  or  inoffensive  persons  of  any  de 
scription.  Good-behavior  is  one  of  the  articles  of  his  creed. 
He  is  neat  in  his  dress,  too  often  extravagant,  and  in  youth 
generally  fond  of  display;  he  sometimes  also,  at  this  period, 
gives  way  to  dissipation,  though  to  no  greater  extent  than  other 
young  men  having  the  same  command  of  money.  When  gam 
blers  have  had  the  power  to  choose  their  customers,  and  close 
their  doors  on  such  as  were  inclined  to  ruffianly  behavior, 
order  and  decorum  have  invariably  reigned  around  their  games. 
Even  in  the  lower  class  of  gambling-rooms,  wrangling,  blasphe 
mous  or  obscene  language  is  not  tolerated,  and  persons  persist 
ing  in  behaving  themselves  with  rudeness,  or  disagreeably,  are 
shut  out,  regardless  of  wealth  or  standing,  except  in  some  cases 
where  the  gambler  dare  not  refuse  to  admit  some  bully  or  ward 
politician,  fearful  of  violence  to  his  game  from  either  themselves 
or  their  satellites.  In  the  best  order  of  gambling-houses  may 
be  met  men  of  cultivation  and  refinement,  numbers  of  whom 
move  in  the  highest  walks  of  life,  and  as  much  decorum  prevails 
among  the  guests  as  would  be  expected  in  a  party  of  friends 
during  an  entertainment  at  the  house  of  one  of  their  number. 
The  proprietor  treats  his  patrons  equally  with  the  greatest  cour 
tesy  and  consideration.  He  who  merely  bets  a  single  white 
check  is  treated  with  the  same  respectful  politeness  as  the  lord 
of  thousands  whose  bets  reach  the  limit  of  the  bank.  The  gam 
ing-table  equalizes  all  who  take  their  seats  before  it.  It  is  a 
peculiar  mart  of  trade,  where  cringing  and  flattery  are  not  a 
part  of  the  stock,  and  in  no  way  belong  to  it.  The  bankers 
treat  all  with  suavity,  conceding  to  each  his  rights  and  nothing 
more,  and  no  banker  having  the  least  respect  for  himself  or  his 
establishment  is  ever  seen  to  display  the  smallest  sign  of  joy  or 
pain  at  his  gains  or  losses. 


354  WATTDEKINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

WOLF-TRAPS. 

The  ground  was  strewn  with  the  irtany-hued  leaves  of  autumn 
when  the  Major  and  myself  concluded  to  start  out  once  more  on 
a  tramp,  this  time  to  the  far  West.  We  had  been  loitering  away 
a  couple  of  months  of  the  heated  term  at  the  White  Sulphur 
Springs  of  Virginia ;  a  place  which,  without  being  very  enter 
taining,  we  found  by  no  means  beneficial  to  our  pockets. 

Arriving  at  Porkopolis,  we  found  the  levee  crowded  with 
steamers  of  all  sizes,  many  of  the  larger  class  plying  between 
that  port  and  New  Orleans,  having  but  lately  been  released  from 
the  moorings  where  they  had  been  tied  up  during  the  summer 
months.  Their  appearance  at  the  wharf,  together  with  the  piles 
of  freight  with  which  it  was  covered,  plainly  denoted  that  navi 
gation  was  thoroughly  reopened,  without  the  corroboration  given 
to  that  fact  by  the  swelling  of  the  turbid  waters  of  the  Ohio. 

"Jack,  would  you  like  to  take  a  stroll  among  the  'Wolf- 
traps,'  sir?"  inquired  the  Major  on  the  morning  subsequent  to 
Our  arrival  in  Cincinnati. 

"Wolf-traps,"  I  repeated,  "what  are  they?" 

"They  are  only  to  be  appreciated,  sir,  by  seeing  them.*' 

"Then  let  us  go,  by  all  means,"  I  rejoined. 

A  few  moments7  rapid  walk  from  our  hotel  brought  us  to  the 
Steamboat  landing.  We  then  turned  up  one  of  the  side  streets 
leading  from  it,  and  a  few  doors  from  the  corner  paused  for  a 
moment  at  the  foot  of  a  wooden  stairway.  We  ascended  and 
reached  a  landing  on  the  first  floor,  turned  and  entered  a  side 
door  which  opened  into  a  long,  narrow,  and  excessively  dirty 
room,  which  could  be  divided  at  pleasure  into  two  apartments 
by  sliding-doors.  The  whole  was  carpeted  with  a  dilapidated 
straw-  matting,  and  decorated  with  several  rough  wooden  boxes, 
which,  being  filled  with  sawdust,  served  as  spittoons,  when  the 
patrons  desired  to  indulge  in  expectoration.  The  front  win 
dows,  which  looked  upon  the  street,  were  protected  by  green 
Venetian  blinds,  the  walls  had  at  some  remote  period  been  pa* 
pered,  but  were  now  so  smoked  that  the  original  pattern  was  un« 
decipherable.  They  were  adorned  at  intervals  by  various  penny 


WOLF-TRAPS.  355 

Pictures  tacked  to  the  wall,  as  well  as  several  in  frames,  repre 
senting  celebrated  racers,  distinguished  generals  and  statesmen, 
steamboats,  fishing  and  hunting  scenes,  etc.,  etc.  The  furniture 
included  a  few  dozen  of  cane-seat  chairs,  a  poker-table  covered 
with  a  discolored  green  cloth,  and  at  the  furthest  end  of  the 
room  a  large  faro  ditto,  also  covered  with  the  usual  green 
cloth,  on  which  now  reposed  a  lay-out,  a  set  of  chips,  and  a 
card-box.  Against  one  side  of  the  front  room  stood  a  strong 
oaken  side-board,  which  had  long  since  seen  its  best  days,  and 
on  it  rested  a  wooden  pail  filled  with  water,  in  which  a  gourd 
swam  invitingly  for  those  who  desired  to  quench  their  thirst — 
tho  only  entertainment  of  any  sort  which  the  establishment 
offered  to  its  patrons.  But  on  the  ground  floor  flourished  a 
coffee-house,  which  dispensed  to  all  who  desired  both  heating 
and  cooling  beverages,  and  the  "trap"  maintained  a  sable  at 
tendant  to  receive  the  money  of  its  patrons,  and  procure  for 
them  its  equivalent  in  whatever  refreshments  they  might  re 
quire. 

Casting  our  eyes  over  the  room,  we  perceived  that  but  three 
persons  were  present  tbere,  besides  ourselves,  the  hour  being,  as 
yet,  too  early  for  customers.  One  of  these  was  a  little  dried-up 
fellow,  about  fifty  years  of  age,  of  a  swarthy  visage  and  small 
black  eyes,  and  bushy  whiskers  of  the  same  raven  hue.  When 
he  perceived  us,  he  came  forward  quickly  and  shook  the  Major 
warmly  by  the  hand. 

"Glad  to  see  you  looking  so  well,  Mr.  Robbins,"  said  the 
polite  Major. 

"  I  don't  feel  so,  sir,"  returned  the  person  addressed,  in  a  lugu 
brious  tone,  and  with  a  doleful  shake  of  the  head. 

"  No  !  You  surprise  me !  What's  the  matter,  sir?"  inquired  the 
Major. 

"D — n  bad  here,"  ejaculated  the  moody  gentleman,  thumping 
himself  on  the  chest. 

"  Well,  sir !  if  health's  bad,  trade  must  be  good,  eh,  Robbins  f w 

'*  No !  no !  no  it  ain't,  Major !  It's  very  bad,  sir,"  replied 
that  worthy,  speaking,  if  possible,  in  a  more  doleful  strain  than 
before.  "  We  hain't  made  a  winning  in  ten  days;  every  bank's 
been  broken  as  fast  as  'twas  put  up,  and  we've  put  up  more'n  a 
hundred,  I'll  bet." 

"  Can  they  do  it  always?"  inquired  tho  Major,  with  a  show  of 
interest. 


356  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

"  It  seems  so,"  whined  Bobbins.  "  D— n  me  if  I  don't  believe 
the  house  is  'hoo-dood.'  But  where  have  you  been  so  long?" 
he  asked. 

"  In  Virginia,"  replied  the  Major. 

"After  keerds?" 

"No,  sir!  I've  done  no  gambling;  have  been  engaged  in  busi 
ness,"  answered  the  Major,  drily. 

"You're  a  deep  'uii  Major,  you  are,"  said  the  doleful  Bobbins, 
with  a  shake  of  his  head,  and  bringing  to  his  face  a  sort  of  sickly 
half-way  smile.  "But  don't  you  know  my  partner  here,  Mr. 
Simons?"  he  inquired,  pointing  to  a  bald-headed,  heavy-set  gen 
tleman,  who  was  dexterously  balancing  himself  on  the  extreme 
tips  of  the  two  back  legs  of  his  chair,  and  pretending  to  occupy 
himself  with  a  newspaper. 

"  Haven't  the  pleasure,  but  you  will  introduce  me,  I  hope," 
returned  the  polite  Major. 

"Mr.  Simons,  this  here  is  my  old  friend,  Major  Jenks,  and  he's 
a  trump,  you  can  bet  on  ?t." 

After  this  glowing  eulogy,  the  Major  was  shaken  energetically 
by  the  hand,  and  Mr.  Simons  expressed  his  pleasure  at  becoming 
acquainted  with  such  an  accomplished  trump. 

"  Mr  Johnstone,  Major,"  said  Mr.  Bobbins,  in  such  atone  as  he 
would  have  used  had  he  been  informing  him  of  the  death  of  his 
dearest  friend,  and  waving  his  hand  towards  a  coarse,  broad- 
shouldered,  hard-fisted  specimen  of  the  genus  homo,  who  had 
not,  since  our  entrance,  ceased  for  one  moment  to  walk  the 
floor  up  and  down,  as  if  doing  it  on  time,  for  a  wager.  No  class 
of  the  human  family  was  more  disgusting  to  the  Major  than  the 
bruiser  tribe,  and  our  late  experience  in  New  York  had  not 
greatly  tended  to  soften  his  prejudices,  to  say  the  least.  The 
personal  appearance  of  Mr.  Johustone  bore  the  indelible  stamp 
of  his  order.  His  mien,  gait,  and  every  action  declared  it  to  the 
stranger,  even  if  it  were  not  for  his  scarified  face,  on  which  was 
so  legibly  written  the  annals  of  many  a  rough-and-tumble  fight, 
that  he  who  saw  might  read ;  but  the  Major  never  allowed  his 
prejudices  to  overcome  his  politeness,  and  of  course  acknowl 
edged  the  favor  of  Mr.  Johnstone's  acquaintance,  with  his  usual 
courtesy. 

"It's  allers  better  folks  should  know  one  another,"  remarked 
Mr.  Bobbins,  in  a  lugubrious  tone,  after  the  hand-shaking  attend 
ant  on  this  ceremony  had  been  performed. 


WOLF-TEAPS.  357 

"Very  properly  so,  sir,"  answered  the  Major. 

In  these  ceremonies  of  presentation  I  was  left  entirely  out  in 
the  cold.  The  Major  had  either  altogether  forgotten  me,  or 
thought  me  unworthy  to  be  presented  to  his  friends,  or,  what  I 
believe  to  be  quite  as  likely,  did  not  consider  that  I  would  be  in 
any  way  benefited  by  their  acquaintance.  Be  that  as  it  may,  my 
temper  was  in  no  degree  ruffled  by  the  slight. 

I  now  amused  myself  by  scanning  the  patrons  of  the  place, 
who  were  fast  filling  the  room,  and  a  motley  gathering  they  were, 
both  in  dress  and  personal  appearance.  Among  them  were  men 
of  all  ages,  from  those  in  early  youth  to  those  whose  hair  was 
white  with  the  snows  of  many  winters.  Some  were  dressed  in 
seedy  garments,  some  few  plainly  and  tastefully,  some  slovenly, 
and  many  foppishly;  over  the  persons  of  this  latter  class  was 
distributed  a  profusion  of  jewelry,  some  of  it  the  "  Simon  pure  " 
article,  while  the  flashy  pinchbeck  chains,  rings  and  breastpins, 
which  disfigured  many  of  them,  marked  their  status  in  the  com 
munity  more  plainly  than  words  could  possibly  do.  The  majority 
were  men  occupying  various  positions  on  the  steamboats  plying 
on  the  river;  for  instance,  cooks,  stewards,  mates,  pilots,  and 
engineers.  There  was  also  to  be  seen  a  considerable  sprinkling 
of  residents  of  the  place  representing  the  rowdy  element  in  force, 
besides  some  mechanics,  loafers  and  pot-house  political  spouters, 
and  others  of  like  grades  and  callings.  The  better-behaved 
amongst  them  sat  quietly  looking  about  them,  or  reading  the 
newspapers,  while  the  younger  and  better-dressed  portion  of 
the  crowd  gathered  about  the  faro-table,  where  they  discussed 
their  own  bad  luck,  the  merits  of  fast  women,  fighting  men, 
race-horses,  river  steamers,  and  a  hundred  kindred  subjects.  Their 
conversation  was  garnished  by  many  terrible  oaths  and  obscene 
expressions.  "Who'll  open  a  snap?" was  the  oft-repeated  ques 
tion  of  the  crowd,  and  every  time  the  door  was  opened,  or  foot 
steps  were  heard  ascending  the  stairs,  all  eyes  were  turned  in 
that  direction,  in  hopes  it  was  some  one  who  was  in  the  habit  of 
setting  up  a  bank  there.  At  length  their  patience  was  rewarded 
by  the  appearance  upon  the  scene  of  a  slight,  dandefied-looking 
inividual,  who  was  received  with  a  yell  of  delight  from  the  de 
lectable  crowd  assembled  round  the  faro-table,  while  several 
screamed  at  the  tops  of  their  voices,  "  Here's  Marks;  we'll  have 
a  bank  now !"  The  gentleman  whose  arrival  had  raised  this  ebul- 


358  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

lition  of  feeling,  and  who  was  now  the  centre  of  attraction  to  all 
parties  present,  was  dressed  in  a  rather  genteel  manner,  and 
wore  around  his  neck  a  heavy  gold  chain,  and  a  fine  brilliant 
sparkled  in  his  elaborately-embroidered  shirt  front.  He  held  in 
his  hand  a  small  gold-headed  cane,  and  advanced  into  the  room 
and  up  to  that  end  of  it  occupied  by  the  faro-table  and  its  ap 
purtenances,  with  a  perfectly  blank  face,  and  took  no  more  no 
tice  of  the  yelling,  screeching  audience,  than  if  he  had  been  the 
sole  occupant  of  the  room.  Without  bestowing  ou  any  person 
the  smallest  sign  of  recognition,  he  coolly  divested  himself  of  his 
coat,  folded  it  up  carefully,  and  handed  it  to  Mr.  Robbins.  He 
now  for  the  first  time  acknowledged  the  presence  of  his  enthu 
siastic  audience,  and  said,  contemptuously,  "  Yes,  I'll  give  you  a 
bank  that  '11  make  yer  sick,  yer  rascals !"  which  polite  speech  was 
received  with  a  yell  of  approbation  by  the  gentlemen  assembled 
about  the  poker-table.  He  then  moved  with  a  kind  of  shuffle 
towards  the  dealing-chair,  and  having  fixed  himself  there  to  his 
satisfaction,  he  took  with  his  thumb  and  finger,  from  his  vest 
pocket,  a  half  eagle,  which  he  tossed  on  the  table  with  the  ut 
most  "sangfroid,"  at  the  same  time  crying  out  "Here,  Robbins, 
give  us  'fish'  for  this."  According  to  custom,  that  worthy  count 
ed  him  out  from  the  piles  of  checks  on  the  table  five  dollars,  is 
suing  them  at  five  cents  apiece.  When  he  had  set  Mr.  Marks' 
bank  aside,  he  handed  him  a  dealing-box  and  a  pack  of  cards. 
The  latter  shuffled  these  according  to  the  most  approved  method, 
and  placed  them  in  the  dealing-box,  and  during  this  operation 
neither  spoke,  nor  hi  any  way  noticed,  even  so  much  as  by  a  look, 
any  one  around  him.  Silence  was  evidently  Mr.  Marks'  "  best 
holt."  When  ready  to  receive  company,  he  addressed  his  au 
dience  in  the  following  polite  strain:  " Gentlemen,  I  dou't  want  no 
fightin'  at  this  'ere  game,  nor  no  'queer'  played  in  on  me.  Steal 
everybody's  checks  but  mine,  and  now,  ye  d — n  rascals,  pitch  in!" 
Anxious  to  have  a  good  view  of  what  was  going  forward,  I  man 
aged  to  make  my  way  next  the  wall  until  I  got  near  the  dealer ; 
but  not  before  an  indignant  gentleman  whom  I  had  crowded, 
and  who  had  been  in  close  communion  with  the  whiskey 
bottle,  desired  to  be  informed  "where  the  h — 1  I  was  working 
to."  From  the  position  I  had  gained  I  could  survey  the  scene 
at  leisure;  and  it  was  one  to  which  only  the  pencil  of  a  Hogarth 
could  have  done  justice.  Seated  and  standing  in  every  imagiu- 


WOLF-TRAPS.  359 

able  attitude  around  the  table,  were  tiers  of  men,  the  hindmost 
row  standing  on  tip-toe,  and  all  watching  with  intense  interest 
the  events  of  the  play.  Immediately  around  the  table  were  at 
least  forty  persons,  of  various  miens,  shapes,  ages,  and  complex 
ions,  and  those  among  them  who  were  but  spectators  of  the 
game  watched  its  fluctuations  with  the  same  intense  interest  as 
those  who  were  hazarding  their  money  upon  it. 

The  banker  started  off  a  winner,  which  did  not  seem  to  im 
prove  the  temper  of  some  of  his  patrons.  While  the  dealer  was 
making  his  turn  profound  silence  reigned,  and  the  suppressed 
breathing  of  the  players,  and  the  sound  of  the  cards  as  they  glid 
ed  from  the  box,  were  the  only  sounds  audible ;  but  the  moment 
the  turn  was  finished,  every  tongue  broke  loose,  and  a  clamor, 
before  which  that  of  ancient  Babel  might  hide  its  diminished 
head,  ensued.  The  most  awfully  blasphemous  language  would 
be  uttered  against  fortune,  by  men  who  had  lost  but  one  or  two 
five-cent  checks.  To  the  cursing,  wrangling,  and  squabbling 
about  the  ownership  of  checks,  the  imperturbable  Marks  paid  not 
the  smallest  attention.  Occasionally  he  would  remonstrate 
when  some  one  detained  the  game  in  placing  or  exchanging  his 
checks,  then  he  would  bring  his  fist  down  on  the  table,  with  a 
"Hands  up,  d — n  ye!  Do  yer  want  to  keep  a  gentleman  here 
all  day  ?" 

"There  I  go,  again!"  shrieked  out  a  well-dressed  youth,  who 
occupied  a  front  seat  at  the  table,  and  who  was  betting  one  or 
two  five-cent  checks  at  a  time.  "By  G — d!  that's  the  seventh 
straight  bet  Fve  lost,"  he  cried,  looking  around  for  sympathy. 

"  Yer  too  windy,  Grummy,"  said  an  elderly  gentleman  seated 
near  him. 

"Am  I?"  half  screamed  Grummy.  "If  you'd  lost  half  the  bets 
I  have  within  the  last  two  months,  you'd  be  in  a  lunatic  asylum 
before  now !" 

"Where  d'ye  get  yer  money?  I  never  seed  yer  work  none!'' 
demanded  a  squealing  voice  from  the  crowd. 

"I  get  it  with  my  tongue,  yer  dirty  lad !"  retorted  the  elegant 
Mr.  Grummy.  "If  you  had  ter  git  yourn  that  way,  ye'd  starved 
to  death  long  ago." 

"  I  thought  you  pinched  pockets  for  it,"  retorted  the  squealing 
voice. 

"No!  he  dusen't  do  nothing  o'  the  kind,"  sung  out  a  voice  from 


360  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

the  outward  circle;  "he's  got  au  industrious  gal,  an'  she  allers 
heels  him  to  a  stake  in  ther  morniiiV 

This  sally  was  received  with  roars  of  laughter  from  the  delight 
ed  crowd,  and  brought  Mr.  Grummy  up  all  standing.  Begging 
money,  or  borrowing  money  under  false  pretenses,  was  a  rare  ac 
complishment  among  the  men  of  Mr.  Grummy's  "  set,"  but  to  be 
publicly  accused  of  being  a  thief  and  of  being  a  dependent  upon 
the  bounty  of  his  lady-love,  was  more  than  flesh  and  blood  could 
stand.  "Come  down  stairs,  ye  dirty  loafers,  and  I'll  show  ye 
where  I  gets  my  money,"  roared  the  exasperated  gentleman, 
wildly  flourishing  his  clenched  fists  above  his  head,  and  invit 
ing  his  assailants  to  come  and  get  their  heads  smashed.  As 
one  gentleman  was  about  to  accept  this  polite  invitation,  and 
several  others  started  to  follow,  to  see  fair  play,  Mr.  Johnstone 
made  his  appearance  on  the  scene..  He  took  hold  of  the  belli 
gerent  Mr.  Grummy  by  the  shoulders,  and  forced  him  into  his 
seat,  and  then  informed  him,  in  the  mildest  and  most  dulcet  of 
voices,  that  if  he  heard  another  word  from  him  he'd  pitch  him 
head-foremost  down  stairs. 

The  bank  struggled  hard  for  an  existence,  but  was  finally 
obliged  to  succumb  to  capital.  Without  allowing  his  ill  success  to 
ruffle  his  temper,  Mr.  Marks  quietly  took  out  what  money  was 
in  the  card-box,  in  order  to  redeem  his  checks;  meanwhile 
several  piles  were  shoved  under  his  nose  for  redemption. 
When  he  had  surveyed  them  for  a  moment,  he  turned  to  their 
owners  and  said,  "  You've  been  dealing  with  thieves  so  long,  you 
don't  know  a  gentleman  when  you  see  one.  Take  them  checks 
back,  and  keep  'em  till  your  turn  comes,  or  you  don't  get  a  cent, 
you  scoundrels!  Do  you  hear?"  They  did  hear,  and  obeyed, 
without  showing  any  signs  of  rebellion.  Whoever  Marks  was,  it 
seemed  the  rough  element  obeyed  and  respected  him.  When  he 
had  redeemed  his  checks,  Bobbins  handed  him  his  coat,  which 
he  put  on,  seized  his  gold-headed  cane  in  his  left  hand,  and,  with 
a  flourish  of  his  right,  thus  addressed  his  patrons :  "  Gentlemen, 
as  my  term  of  office  has  now  expired,  allow  me  to  thank  you  for 
your  generous  patronage,  and  also  to  carry  away  with  me  the 
remembrance  of  the  happy  moments  I  have  passed  in  your 
society.  This  speech  was  received  with  boisterous  cheering, 
during  which  Mr.  Marks  shuffled  himself  out  of  the  room. 

Another  dealer  now  put  up  a  ten  dollar  bank,  which  was  bro- 


WOLF-TRAPS.  361 

ken  oil  the  first  deal.  The  next  bank  was  a  twenty-five  dollar 
one,  which  was  also  soon  broken.  By  this  time  it  appeared  a 
heavier  class  of  players  had  entered  the  place,  and  to  make  room 
for  them  at  the  table,  the  "crabbers  "  were  forced  to  vacate,  by 
order  of  Mr.  Ilobbius.  One  dissatisfied  gentleman  ventured  to 
remonstrate  against  the  making  invidious  distinctions,  by  saying 
that  a  gentleman  was  entitled  to  his  seat,  so  long  as  he  had  a 
check,  but  in  defiance  of  this  opinion  he  was  seized  by  the  re 
doubtable  Johustone,  and  dragged  from  his  chair ;  after  which 
he  spun  the  unfortunate  "champion  o'  the  rights  of  the  weaker" 
around  the  room  like  a  top;  a  warning  beacon  to  all  who  had  not 
learned  that  right  is  always  with  the  strongest  party. 

Several  banks  were  successively  broken,  and  as  each  banker 
retired  discomfited,  the  cry  would  arise,  "Room  for  another." 
"Who  next?"  The  chair  was  finally  occupied  by  a  man  clad  in 
an  unexceptionable  coat  of  brown  cloth,  pants  of  the  same  ma 
terial,  and  a  white  linen  vest.  He  rejoiced  in  an  elaborately 
ruffled  shirt,  and  his  head  was  topped  by  an  expensive  Panama 
hat.  He  was  burdened  with  a  superfluous  amount  of  jewelry, 
comprising  a  long  gold  neck-chain,  fob-chain,  diamond  pin,  and 
several  diamond  rings  on  his  fingers.  This  gentleman,  from  ap 
pearance,  was  about  forty  years  of  .age.  His  frame  was  slender, 
and  though  not  above  the  middle  height,  stooped  considerably 
from  the  shoulders,  and  ungainly  in  appearance.  His  complex 
ion  was  nearly  as  dark  as  that  of  an  Indian,  and  since  I  have  seen 
the  many  Cherokee  half-breeds,  I  am  certain  he  was  one  of  the 
gamblers  of  that  caste,  who  made  their  homes  in  the  Indian 
Territory.  His  eyes  were  dark  and  piercing,  his  eyebrows  arched 
and  bushy,  while  his  head  was  covered  by  a  thick  shock  of 
coarse  black  hair.  Nobody  seemed  to  recognize  him,  nor  did 
he  speak  to  any  one,  so  that  evidently  he  was  a  total  stranger  in 
the  place.  When  he  had  taken  from  an  inside  pocket  a  large 
roll  of  bank-bills,  he  counted  out  $300,  and  handed  to  Mr. 
Bobbins  as  his  bank  money,  telling  him  that  he  desired  the 
denomination  of  his  checks  to  be  25  cents.  This  was  considered 
a  very  large  bank  at  the  "trap,"  and  some  of  the  smaller 
players  began  to  remonstrate  about  the  price  of  the  checks, 
which  caused  some  spicy  conversation  between  them  and  those 
who  desired  to  be  considered  "  heavy  rollers,"  to  ensue.  Noth 
ing  is  more  annoying  to  young  bank  players,  or  will  gall  them 


362  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

worse  or  more  quickly,  than  to  be  called  "pikers,"  or  "crab 
bers,"  or  "check-sweaters" — words  almost  syuouyinous,  and 
meaning  a  person  who  bets  one  or  two  white  checks  at  a  time; 
these  are  termed  "pikers "and  "crabbers,"  while  the  "check- 
sweater"  or  "check- charmer"  holds  in  his  hand  a  few  white 
checks,  as  an  excuse  to  keep  his  seat  at  the  table,  which  he 
does  more  in  expectation  of  pouncing  upon  the  sleepers  belong 
ing  to  the  other  players,  than  of  winning  anything  from  the 
bank  himself. 

Compared  with  the  banks  previously  set  up,  the  new  one  had 
quite  a  lively  game,  none  of  the  previous  ones  being  over  $25. 
Several  $10  and  $15  bets  were  made,  and  a  few  as  high  as  $20. 
The  sight  of  the  stranger's  money  had  nerved  some  of  the  more 
adventurous  spirits  to  go  for  it.  Hidden  jnoney  was  brought 
out  of  secret  pockets,  where  it  had  lain  "perdu."  A  new  class 
of  players  appeared  on  the  scene,  more  venturesome  and  better- 
behaved.  Several  of  the  more  noisy  "-crabbers"  were  driven 
from  their  seats  to  make  room  for  these,  and  the  game  now  be 
came  very  exciting. 

Among  the  new  arrivals  was  a  tall,  powerful  man,  well,  but 
plainly  dressed,  and  aged  about  thirty  years.  His  swarthy  vis 
age,  and  dark,  sinister  expression,  was  in  no  way  improved  by  an 
ugly  scar  on  his  forehead  and  another  reaching  from  his  ear  to 
the  corner  of  his  mouth.  He  was  accompanied  by  two  stalwart 
companions,  who  addressed  him  as  Ned,  and  who  were  assisting 
him,  and  directing  him  how  to  bet  his  money.  It  was  "Ned, 
bet  on  the  five — itliasn't  lost  yet;"  or  "Ned,  cramp  the  queen 
with  a  few  dollars — she's  a  hummer;"  or  "Ned,  put  me  a  couple 
of  dollars  on  the  Jack;"  or  remarks  of  like  significance.  Ned 
stood  before  the  table  with  a  large  roll  of  bills  in  his  hands,  of 
the  denominations  principally  of  ones  and  twos.  When  his  com 
panions  told  him  to  lay  a  bet,  he  did  so ;  and  when  they  asked 
for  money,  he  gave  it  to  them,  and  did  not  once  open  his  mouth 
to  ask  a  question  or  make  a  reply.  But  neither  himself  nor  his 
friends  could  pick  out  winning  cards,  nor  could  any  other  per 
son,  scarcely ;  for  the  long,  bony  fingers  of  the  Indian  were  rak 
ing  in  everything  before  him  in  the  shape  of  or  of  the  name  of 
money.  The  roll  of  bills  in  the  fingers  of  "Ned"  was  rapidly 
dwindling  away,  but  he  still  controlled  the  fiery  passion  which 
burned  within  him,  increasing  in  fury  as  his  losses  increased, 


WOLF-TRAPS.  363 

and  he  saw  his  hets  one  after  another  picked  up  from  the  lay 
out  by  the  supple  fingers  of  the  dealer  without  a  word  or  sign, 
until  finally  he  held  in  his  hand  the  last  remaining  note  of  his 
roll.  It  was  a  one  dollar  bill.  As  he  stood  before  the  lay-out, 
he  twisted  this  absently  into  a  cord,  savagely  staring  at  the 
automaton  dealer  the  while,  whose  eyes  were  on  the  lay-out, 
and  were  covered  from  the  sight  of  the  spectators  by  the  Pan 
ama  hat,  which  was  slouched  over  his  brows.  In  this  position 
he  patiently  awaited  the  disposal  of  his  last  bet  by  "Ned." 
"You  want  this  too,  do  you?"  he  hissed  between  his  teeth, 
shaking  the  twisted  bill  in  his  face.  "You  want  this  too,  do 
you?"  The  dealer  neither  made  him  any  reply,  nor  moved  a 
muscle ;  the  former  continued  in  the  same  intemperate  manner, 
still  shaking  before  his  face  the  twisted-up  bill.  "You've  won 
forty  dollars  from  me  without  paying  me  a  single  bet.  See  if  you 
can  win  that,  you  d— u  thief!"  At  the  same  moment  he  placed 
the  bill,  twisted  as  it  was,  behind  the  nine.  Amidst  a  death-like 
silence  the  dealer  made  his  turn.  The  cards  could  be  heard 
distinctly  as  they  fell  from  the  box.  Every  one  seemed  to  hold 
his  breath. 

The  bill  lost.  Ned  snatched  it  up,  tore  it  into  small  bits,»flung 
one  to  the  imperturbable  dealer  and  one  to  himself  alternately, 
at  the  same  time  hissing  between  his  clenched  teeth,  "You  take 
that,  and  I'll  take  this,"  at  every  fragment. 

"Your  conduct,"  said  the  Indian,  calmly,  for  the  first  time 
looking  up,  "is,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  very  ungentlemanly." 
Quick  as  thought,  the  ruffian  seized  the  dealing-box,  and  with 
it  struck  him  a  fearful  blow  on  the  mouth,  which  felled  him 
senseless  to  the  floor;  while  from  the  cut  on  his  upper  lip,  caused 
by  the  sharp  edge  of  the  box,  the  blood  spurted  out  profusely. 
Simons  picked  up  the  prostrate  man,  and  reseated  him  in  his 
chair.  The  blood  was  flowing  in  a  stream  from  his  lip,  and  his 
first  act,  on  regaining  consciousness,  was  to  make  a  motion  to 
put  his  hand  behind  him.  Those  who  observed  this  movement 
conceived  the  idea  that  he  was  trying  to  get  hold  of  a  pistol^ 
and  the  friends  of  "Ned"  called  out,  "Look  out,  Ned,  he's  going 
to  shoot!"  That  worthy  immediately  plunged  his  hand  into  the 
bosom  of  his  vest,  and  as  he  partially  withdrew  it,  the  white 
handle  of  a  bowie-knife  was  seen  to  project,  which  he  imme 
diately  replaced  on  making  the  discovery  that  the  weapon  which 


364  WANDEIUNGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

the  Indian  was  trying  to  draw  was  nothing  more  formidable 
than  a  white  pocket-handkerchief. 

At  this  stage  of  the  affair,  several  of  those  belonging  to  Ned's 
party  rushed  in  out  of  the  front  room  with  the  cry  that  "the 
police  are  coming!"  " Let's  leave,  Ned!"  etc.  Mr.  Johnstone 
now  interfered  for  the  first  time,  and  entreated  "  Ned"  to  leave 
before  he  was  "nabbed"  by  the  police.  The  rooms  were  nearly 
deserted  by  the  people  who  a  few  moments  before  had  crowded 
them  to  suffocation,  and  when  "Ned"  and  his  companions  had 
left  the  place,  it  contained  no  other  occupants  but  Simons,  Rob- 
bins,  Johnstone,  the  injured  man,  the  Major,  and  myself.  This 
speedy  riddance  of  the  crowd  was  due  to  a  custom  of  the  police, 
who  were  in  the  habit  of  arresting  every  person  whom  they 
found  in  a  "trap,"  if  called  in  to  suppress  a  row.  The  Major, 
being  fully  aware  of  this,  tried  to  drag  me  from  the  place  as 
soon  as  the  dealer  was  struck,  but  I  was  determined  to  see  the 
end  of  the  adventure,  and  the  generous  old  fellow,  sooner  than 
leave  me  alone,  remained  with  me. 

The  injured  man,  unable  to  make  any  response  to  the  kind  in 
quiries  of  Robbins  and  Simons  after  his  hurts,  could  only  sit 
witb»his  handkerchief  pressed  over  the  wound.  Robbins  settled 
up  the  game,  which  had  won  about  $180,  and  after  deducting 
the  ten  per  cent,  due  the  house,  handed  over  the  balance  to  its 
owner,  who  put  it  in  the  pocket  of  his  pants,  and  immediately 
left  the  house,  holding  his  handkerchief  up  to  his  mouth. 

"There,  Major!  Don't  you  think  we're  treated  very  badly?" 
inquired  the  irrepressible  Robbins,  the  instant  the  door  had 
closed  on  his  retreating  form,  with  his  habitual  whining  tone. 

"Yes,  sir!"  answered  the  Major,  "but  I  think  that  unfortun 
ate  gentleman  who  has  just  left  us  has  been  treated  an  infernal 
sight  worse. 

"Treated  h— 1!"  rejoined  Mr.  Robbins,  contemptuously. 
"What's  a  fight  to  breaking  up  a  man's  business?  An'  to  be 
treated  so  by  yer  friends  too,  it's  devilish  shabby,  certain,"  said 
the  virtuous  Mr.  Robbins,  in  a  very  injured  and  desponding 
manner. 

"Ned  La  Grange  is  as  good  a  feller  es  ever  walked  the  airth, 
but  yer  see,  Robbins,  he's  lost  a  power  o'  money  here  lately,  and 
it  makes  'im  cross  as  a  b'ar,"  apologized  Mr.  Johnstone. 

The  Major  and  myself  now  took  our  leave,  and  reached  the 


WOLF-TRAPS.  '365 

street  without  encountering  any  officers.  "And  that's  what  you 
call  the  wolf- trap,  is  it?" 

"That's  one  of  them,  sir." 

"And  how  many  such  are  here,  for  God's  sake?"  I  inquired, 
aghast.  • 

"  Ten  or  fifteen,  perhaps,"  answered  the  imperturbable  Major. 

"And  are  they  all  as  bad  as  the  one  we  have  just  left?" 

"  That's  the  best  of  them,  sir." 

"For  fighting,  you  mean?"  I  rejoined. 

"No,  sir!  It's  kept  in  better  order  than  many  of  them;  be 
sides,  Bobbins  won't  let  any  "check  games"  be  played  in  his 
house,  nor  any  other  kind  of  swindling  to  go  on  there." 

"And  that  man  Johnstone — is  he  concerned  in  the  establish 
ment?" 

"No  farther  than  that  he  is  hired  to  keep  order  there."    • 

"How  was  it  he  didn't  tackle  that  fellow,  'Ned'?  He  talked 
very  warlike  to  that  man  they  called  Grammy,  and  others." 

"Because  he  knew  he  couldn't  win,  and  the  attempt  might 
have  cost  him  his  life.  That  ruffian,  who  violated  the  person  of 
that  inoffensive  dealer,  is  one  of  the  worst  desperadoes  in  this 
city,  sir,  and  his  companions  are  equally  as  bad." 

"I  wonder*  if  the  person  whom  he  so  brutally  injured  will 
have  him  arrested?" 

"What  would  it  amount  to?  Perhaps  a  fine  of  five  or  ten 
dollars  at  the 'utmost,  and  the  ruffian  might  retaliate  upon  him, 
and  cause  him  to  be  indicted  for  dealing  faro.  He  wields  some 
influence  with  the  authorities,  because  he  is  politically  powerful 
among  the  rougher  characters  of  the  city,  known  as  the  Fly 
Market  Rangers,  or  the  Flat-iron  Rangers. 

The  second  morning  after  that  on  which  the  above  conversa 
tion  transpired,  while  the  Major  and  myself  were  seated  at 
breakfast  in  our  hotel,  in  looking  over  the  morning  paper  my 
attention  was  attracted  to  a  paragraph  which  stated  that  "a 
well-known  citizen  named  Edward  La  Grange  was  found  dead  a 
short  distance  from  his  lodgings,  from  the  effects  of  a  load  of 
buckshot,  which  lodged  near  his  heart.  On  the  body,  when  dis 
covered,  was  found  his  watch  and  other  ornaments,  and  in  one 
of  his  pockets  a  small  leather  pocket-book,  containing  $20  in 
bank-notes.  It  is  believed  that  revenge  prompted  the  assassi 
nation." 


866  WANDERINGS  OP  A  VAGABOND. 

"Let's  go  to  the  coroner's  inquest,"  said  the  Major. 

We  discovered,  from  an  examination  of  the  paper,  where  the 
inquest  was  to  be  held,  and  ten  minutes'  walk  brought  us  to  the 
place.  A  large  crowd  of  persons  were  congregated  there,  but  a 
much  larger  one  before  a  brick  house  a  short  Distance  off,  where, 
on  the  pavement  hi  front  of  it,  lay  the  remains  of  the  murdered 
man.  We  managed  to  work  our  way  into  the  crowd,  and  in  the 
ghastly  features  of  the  corpse  turned  up  to  the  noonday  sun  we 
recognized  those  of  the  "Ned,"  who,  in  so  dastardly  a  manner, 
had  outraged  the  person  of  the  Indian  dealer  by  striking  him  in 
the  face  with  the  dealing-box.  His  assassin  was  never  discovered ! 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 

WOLF-TRAPS — CONTINUED. 

From  1836  up  to  1846  the  gambling  done  in  Cincinnati,  in  the 
banking  line,  was  almost  entirely  confined  to  faro,  and  the 
games  were  conducted,  in  what  were  called  ten  per  cent,  houses, 
or,  as  classically  rendered  by  the  masses  who  patronized  them, 
"  wolf-traps,"  or  "  dead-falls."  After  the  date  mentioned,  gamb 
lers  began  fitting  up  better  rooms  for  the  entertainment  of  the 
more  respectable  class  of  customers,  and  shut  out  from  them  the 
rougher  characters  who  were  in  the  habit  of  making  the  "  wolf- 
traps"  a  place  of  resort.  Dens  of  the  "wolf-trap"  description 
were  by  no  means  confined  to  Cincinnati,  but  were  to  be  found 
in  St.  Louis,  Pittsburgh,  Boston,  New  York,  and  Philadelphia, 
and  several  of  the  minor  cities.  But  in  no  city  in  the  Union  did 
they  flourish  so  extensively  and  in  such  numbers  as  that  first 
named,  or  were  the  resort  of  so  many  ruffianly  and  lawless 
characters. 

Dens  of  the  description  of  the  "Tapis  Franc,"  and  the  "dead 
falls  "  of  San  Francisco  and  Sacramento,  are  now  matters  of  his 
tory  only,  and  it  seems  beyond  the  bounds  of  probability  that 
similar  haunts  of  vice,  and  the  brutal  and  lawless  scenes  there 
enacted,  will  ever  again  be  permitted  to  disgrace  our  country, 
and  the  name  of  civilization. 

In  Cincinnati,  the  number  of  traps  would  increase  or  decrease 


WOLF-TRAPS.  367 

in  proportion  to  the  numbers  of  their  patrons ;  at  times  as  many 
as  fifteen  would  be  flourishing  full  tilt,  while  again  their  number 
would  dwindle  down  to  four  or  five.  During  the  summer  months 
they  were  by  far  the  most  numerous,  owing  to  the  many  boatmen 
in  the  city  thrown  out  of  employment  by  the  closing  ot  naviga 
tion  on  the  river. 

These  delectable  institutions  were  located  in  close  proximity 
to  the  steamboat  landing ;  either  facing  it,  or  in  some  by-street 
convenient.  They  were  to  be  found  in  basements,  first  floors, 
and  third  floors,  but  most  generally  disconnected  from  rum-mills. 
To  fit  up  a  "  wolf-trap,"  it  would  be  necessary  to  procure  a  room, 
furnish  it  with  a  dozen  or  so  common  cane-seat  chairs,  a  faro- 
table,  and  a  few  other  trifling  articles,  and  it  was  ready  to  re 
ceive  all  comers,  always  excepting  the  proscribed  sons  of  Africa. 
The  "  nigs,"  not  to  be  behind  their  white  brethren,  had  also  their 
"traps,"  which,  to  their  credit  be  it  said,  were  conducted  on  a 
much  more  orderly  and  honorable  basis  than  many  of  those  from, 
which  they  were  excluded.  Nor  did  they  retaliate  by  showing 
the  same  spirit  of  exclusiveness  in  their  dens,  for  the  African  and 
the  Caucasian  could  frequently  be  seen  there,  seated  side  by  side, 
struggling  for  the  possession  of  the  "filthy  lucre."  Neither  did 
the  sable  proprietor  permit  any  "  check  "  games  to  be  played,  or 
any  other  kindred  rascalities  frequently  practiced  in  the  "traps" 
of  their  white  brethren.  The  proprietor  of  the  "  traps  "  furnish 
ed  all  the  requisite  gambling  paraphernalia;  his  money  was 
invested  in  rent,  furniture,  and  faro-tools  only;  he  rarely  or 
never  put  up  a  "  snap,"  nor  even  played  against  one.  He  left 
that  part  of  the  business  to  his  patrons.  Whenever  one  of  these 
put  up  a  bank  he  looked  out  for  him,  or  dealt  it  for  him ;  if  the 
bank  won  he  deducted  ten  per  cent. ;  if  it  lost,  he  charged  noth 
ing  for  his  services  or  the  use  of  his  house  and  tools.  When  a 
tank  had  been  broken,  the  dealing-chair  was  declared  vacant, 
and  waiting  for  a  new  aspirant  to  tempt  fortune.  The  largest 
bank  offered  to  be  set  up  was  given  the  preference,  and  they 
ranged  through  all  amounts  from  $1  to  $500,  but  seldom  higher 
than  $50.  Sometimes  several  persons  would  unite  to  stock  a 
bank,  and  all  except  the  dealer  play  against  it.  It  frequently 
happened  that,  early  in  the  morning,  some  enterprising  individ 
ual,  wishing  to  start  business  for  himself,  would  throw  down 
his  dollar  and  declare  that  his  bank.  The  proprietor  of  the 


368  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

rooms  would  then  give  him  checks  for  the  amount,  issuing  them 
at  ten,  five,  or  perhaps  one  cent  apiece.  Presently  thirty  or 
forty  dollars'  worth  of  checks  would  be  bought  and  ready  to  be 
played  against  the  dollar  bank.  Possibly  it  might  live  all  day 
and  win  a  few  hundred  dollars,  but  the  odds  were  several  hun 
dred  to  one  that  it  would  speedly  give  up  the  ghost.  The  bank 
being  declared  broken,  another  one  was  speedily  put  up  in  its 
place,  and  in  this  manner  was  business  conducted  in  these  es 
tablishments,  and  the  ten  per  cent,  derived  from  the  winning 
banks  amounted  in  the  course  of  the  year  to  a  very  respectable 
revenue  for  the  keepers.of  these  "traps." 

These  places  were  patronized  by  all  classes  of  the  community, 
from  the  laborer  to  the  sons  of  the  wealthy  aristocracy.  Trades 
men,  mechanics,  low  politicians,  river  men,  and  river  sharpers, 
rowdies  and  thieves  of  every  description  and  grade.  The  ver 
dant  who  visited  these  places  were  objects  of  prey  to  many  of 
the  rough  sharpers,  who  put  every  scheme  they  could  devise  to 
work,  in  order  to  rob  them.  Should  they  put  up  banks,  they 
could  not  there,  as  at  No.  98  Barclay  Street,  New  York,  "bon 
net"  and  play  upon  them  such  jokes  as  the  patrons  were  accus 
tomed  at  those  places  to  treat  their  bankers  to.  In  that  locality 
such  high-handed  acts  of  violence  were  not  tolerated,  the  laws 
of  Cincinnati  being  so  eccentric  as  to  punish  such  little  practical 
jokes  severely.  Neither  were  they  here  relieved  of  their  money 
by  a  two-card  box.  The  pasturage  of  the  u  traps  "  was  too  thin 
for  that  stock.  But  the  rough  sharpers  of  these  institutions, 
when  they  had  a  verdant  to  deal  with,  managed  to  get  his  mon 
ey  by  making  half  turns  on  him,  paying  his  bets  short,  and  steal 
ing  his  checks.  If  too  well  posted  up  to  stand  such  nonsense, 
the  game  would  be  dealt  with  all  seeming  fairness,  taking  the 
chance  of  winning  his  money  on  the  square ;  should  this  prove 
unsuccessful,  when  he  passed  in  his  checks,  in  order  to  have  them 
cashed,  he  would  be  greeted  with  a  laugh  by  both  the  dealer 
and  his  cappers,  and  assured  that  the  game  was  only  a  lark,  and 
that  had  he  lost  his  money  it  would  have  been  refunded  to  him, 
or  perhaps  they  might  have  taken  out  the  price  of  the  drinks  and 
refunded  the  remainder.  But  only  well-known  citizens  would  get 
their  money  refunded  in  this  manner.  Should  the  "  sucker  "  be 
a  stranger,  and  win,  the  money  he  had  played  in  would  be  taken 
out  by  a  capper,  who  would  immediately  leave  the  house,  carry- 


WOLF-TRAPS.  369 

ing  it  with  him.  If  the  "  sucker"  continued  to  win,  and  showed 
signs  of  quitting  the  game,  the  dealer  would  address  one  of  his 
cronies  with  a  request  that  he  would  take  his  place  for  a  few 
moments,  as  he  had  some  very  pressing  business  to  attend  to. 
He  would  then  leave  the  house.  Perhaps  before  doing  so  he  had 
"pinched"  from  the  card-box  whatever  money  the  "sucker" 
had  handed  in  for  checks.  He  certainly  would  not  make  his 
appearance  in  the  rooms  again  until  the  dupe  had  vacated  those 
premises,  unless  informed  by  a  runner  that  he  had  lost  back  to 
the  bank  his  checks.  In  that  case  he  would  leisurely  return  and 
resume  his  place  in  the  dealing-chair.  Should  the  successful 
"sucker"  pass  in  his  checks,  he  was  politely  requested  to  wait 
until  the  dealer  returned,  by  the  man  in  the  chair.  Of  course  no 
dealer  returned ;  the  cappers  would  then  raise  a  cry  of  robbery, 
and  demand  the  name  of  the  dealer  from  his  representative. 
That  individual  of  course  did  not  know,  nor  any  one  else  in  the 
room.  All  would  now  be  uproar  and  confusion,  in  the  midst  of 
which  some  kind-hearted  gentleman  would  whisper  in  his  ear, 
"  Come  along  o'  me;  I  know  where  to  find  'im,  and  we'll  make 
'im  pay  up."  If  the  poor  dupe  allowed  himself  to  be  lured  from 
the  house  with  his  new  friend,  he  would  be  dragged  from  one 
place  to  another  until  heart  and  flesh  both  were  exhausted;  and 
if  a  stranger,  he  had  long  since  lost  all  traces  of  the  house  where 
the  game  took  place.  Should  he  happen  to  be  one  of  those  ob 
stinate  "  cusses  "  who  could  not  be  induced  to  leave  the  premi 
ses  unless  he  had  at  least  his  own  money  back,  the  proprietor 
would  make  his  appearance,  and,  after  listening  to  the  gentle 
man's  complaint,  would  refund  it  to  him.  Not  because  he  had 
any  right  to  do  so ;  by  no  means.  "  He  wasn't  responsible  for 
those  who  came  to  his  house ;  an'  if  gentlemen  bucked  agin  the 
bank,  'twas  their  business  to  see  that  the  bank  money  was  all 
right  first.  'Twas  as  much  as  he  could  do  to  look  arter  his  ten 
per  cent.,  if  it  won.  But  then  he  didn't  want  anybody  treated 
mean  in  his  house ;  he'd  sell  his  furniture  before  he'd  allow  that," 
etc.  This  apparent  sincerity  on  the  part  of  the  proprietor  gen 
erally  smoothed  the  ruffled  feathers  of  his  victim,  if  he  was  not  too 
glad  to  get  his  money  back  to  know  or  care  what  he  was  saying. 
But  at  times  these  gentry  would  find  some  rather  troublesome 
customers  to  deal  with ;  and  here,  by  way  of  a  sample,  I  shall 
instance  a  few  cases  out  of  many.  A  deck-hand  on  a  steamer 


370  •WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

one  night  dropped  into  a  trap.  A  visionary  bank  was  imme 
diately  opened  for  his  especial  accommodation.  After  a  short 
play  he  won  forty  dollars  in  checks  and  passed  them  in  to  be 
cashed.  He  was  informed  in  the  usual  way  that  the  dealer  hav 
ing  charge  of  the  bank  money  was  out  at  that  moment,  and  re 
quested  to  wait  for  a  short  time  until  his  return.  He  waited 
until  the  cappers  had  either  lost  or  passed  in  their  checks,  say 
ing,  "That's  what  I  owe  Mr.  Smith,  or  Jones,  or  any  other  hypo 
thetical  gentleman,"  and  left  the  apartment.  The  deck-hand, 
having  waited  about  an  hour,  became  convinced  that  there 
was  no  money  for  him  in  that  crib,  and  quietly  left.  On  the  fol 
lowing  night,  at  about  the  same  hour,  he  paid  another  visit  to 
the  place,  accompanied  by  about  a  dozen  of  his  fellow-boatmen. 
A  snap  was  in  progress,  but  none  of  the  parties  engaged  were 
those  he  had  seen  on  the  evening  previous;  but,  without  a  single 
moment's  hesitation,  he  seized  the  card-box,  checks,  and  deal 
ing-box,  and  was  in  the  act  of  making  off  with  them,  when  he 
was  politely  stopped  by  the  proprietor,  and  the  requisite  .forty 
dollars  produced. 

The  next  scene  which  I  recall  to  mind  was  one  in  which  an 
old  Kentucky  farmer  figured  as  principal  actor ;  having  been 
picked  up  by  some  scamp  and  roped  to  the  den.  This  old  fel 
low,  who  was  much  above  the  ordinary  size  of  mortals,  and  pos 
sessed  the  strength  of  three  or  four  ordinary  men,  was  prone  to 
indulge  his  leisure  hours  in  tackling  the  tiger,  whenever  he 
found  one  of  those  animals  lying  around  loose. 

As  he  entered  the  "trap"  a  full  game  was  already  under  way, 
having  been  gotten  up  for  his  especial  benefit.  Feeling  kindly 
disposed  to  "jine,"  he  handed  over  to  the  dealer  a  Kentucky 
fiver,  and  received  checks  for  it,  which  he  soon  ran  up  to 
eighty  dollars,  in  spite  of  short-paying,  half-turns,  and  stealing 
his  sleepers.  He  demanded  money  for  his  checks,  and  was  in 
formed  by  the  dealer,  after  he  had  counted  the  checks  carefully 
and  put  them  in  the  bank,  that  his  "pardner,"  who  carried  the 
bank  money,  was  out,  but  would  be  back  presently.  The  old 
farmer  then  and  there  expressed  his  disapprobation  of  such  a 
mode  of  conducting  a  business,  especially  a  faro-bank ;  but  in 
order  not  to  render  himself  disagreeable,  resumed  his  seat  to 
await  the  coming  of  the  visionary  "pardner"  with  the  bank 
money.  Dealer  and  cappers  continued  their  game,  in  hopes  the 


WOLF-TRAPS.  371 

old  man  would  join,  but  he  sat  in  dogged  silence,  never  taking 
his  eyes  once  off  the  door.  The  dealer  now  began  to  think  that 
his  absence  from  the  room  might  be  conducive  to  his  personal 
safety,  and  addressing  a  gentleman  lounging  about,  who  ap 
peared  a  mere  "looker-on  in  Vienna,"  desired  him  to  make  a 
deal  for  him  while  he  went  to  see  "what  the  devil  had  become 
of  his  pardner."  This  obliging  person  consented,  and  took  the 
dealing-chair,  and  its  last  incumbent  made  a  pass  for  the  door ; 
but,  to  his  astonishment  and  chagrin,  his  egress  was  barred  by 
the  stalwart  form  of  the  Kentuckian.  "Look  here,  stranger!" 
he  ejaculated,  "you  can't  pass  here  till  I  gits  my  money  back, 
nohow!"  at  the  same  time  shaking  in  his  face  a  sledge-hammer 
fist. 

"  Yer  a  d — n  fool !  ain't  I  goin'  ter  get  yer  money  fur  ye  ?  "  de 
manded  the  preteudedly  indignant  dealer,  in  reality  shaking  in 
his  shoes  with  fright. 

"I  tell  yer  ye  can't  leave  this  here  room  till  I  gits  my 
money,"  doggedly  reiterated  the  old  farmer.  Here  several  of 
those  present  interposed,  and  assured  him  'twas  all  right,  that 
he'd  get  his  money,  etc.,  etc. ;  but  the  obstinate  old  fellow  was 
incapable  of  listening  to  such  undoubted  logic,  and  persisted  in 
closing  the  door  upon  all  persons  and  allowing  none  to  depart 
uutil  his  money  was  produced.  The  case  was  desperate !  The 
dealer  saw  no  solution  of  the  difficulty  but  to  fight  it  out;  conse 
quently  he  drew  off  and  hit  the  old  man  with  all  the  force  he 
was  master  of,  on  the  side  of  his  head,  with  his  clenched  fist. 
This  had  no  more  effect  than  if  it  had  been  a  friendly  pat  on 
the  iron  frame  of  the  old  Kentuckian,  who  caught  his  assailant 
by  the  top  of  his  head  with  one  brawny  hand,  while  he  "mashed 
in"  his  face  with  the  doubled  fist  of  the  other,  and  laid  him  a 
senseless  heap  on  the  floor.  The  roughs  now  joined  their  forces 
and  pitched  into  the  old  fellow  in  a  body,  but  he  made  short 
work  of  them;  a  blow  from  his  fist  or  a  kick  from  his  cowhide 
boot  sending  them  to  "grass"  in  all  directions,  from  whence 
they  soon  picked  themselves  up  and  sneaked  off,  until  the  old 
farmer  was  at  last  left  alone  in  the  place,  "the  monarch  of  all  he 
surveyed."  Ho  then  stepped  down  to  the  street,  hailed  a  pass 
ing  dray,  and  commenced  loading  upon  it  the  furniture  of  the 
room,  the  gambling  paraphernalia,  and  whatever  else  he  could 
lay  hands  on.  The  row,  and  the  subsequent  proceedings  of  the 


3712  -WANDERINGS  OF  A  YAGABCXSD. 

old  fellow,  had  gathered  around  him  the  usual  crowd  of  curiosity 
seekers,  who  were  enthusiastically  cheering  him  on  in  his  good 
work,  when,  just  as  the  articles  were  about  being  hauled  away 
to  an  auction-room,  which  was  evidently  the  destination  for 
which  the  old  man  intended  them,  a  strange  gentleman  appeared 
on  the  scene  and  represented  that  he  was  the  owner  of  the  pro 
perty,  and  also  affirmed  that  the  dealer  had  spoken  the  truth 
when  he  said  his  partner  was  absent,  and  that  he  was  himself 
that  person.  That  he  had  been  detained  much  longer  than  he 
had  expected  to  be,  but  was  now  ready  to  settle  all  claims  against 
the  bank.  "Then  shell  out  now!"  roared  the  old  farmer.  He 
was  finally  coaxed  to  leave  the  door  and  come  up  stairs,  to  the 
great  indignation  of  the  assembled  crowd,  where  he  paid  him 
his  money  and  finally  induced  him  to  leave  without  creating  any 
further  disturbance. 

John  Swann  was  far  up  in  the  fifties,  a  shoemaker  by  profes 
sion,  and  had  neither  wife,  children,  nor  relatives,  at  least  none 
that  his  most  intimate  acquaintance  knew  of.  He  was  a  votary 
of  the  green  tables,  and  since  those  honorable  institutions,  the 
"wolf-traps,"  were  first  introduced  into  Cincinnati,  had  been 
their  constant  patron.  The  greater  part  of  his  hard-earned 
money  went  to  gratify  his  passion  for  playing  at  faro.  He  was 
an  inoffensive  old  genius,  rather  eccentric,  and  the  world 
thought  his  intellect  considerably  impaired.  The  roughest  of  the 
frequenters  of  the  traps  respected  him,  and  should  any  one  try 
to  steal  his  checks  from  the  lay-out,  friendly  voices  were  not 
wanting  to  warn  him,  nor  friendly  hands  to  see  that  the  old  man 
had  his  rights.  When  he  got  broke,  he  never  hung  about  the 
tables,  or  tried  to  borrow  stakes  from  any  one.  He  bad  no  as 
sociates,  was  always  when  on  the  street  entirely  alone,  and 
when  at  play  seldom  or  never  spoke  to  those  about  him,  but 
talked  constantly  to  himself,  and  his  singular  behavior  and 
quaint  remarks  afforded  a  never-failing  fund  of  merriment  to 
those  around  him.  Whenever  he  lost  two  or  three  bets  succes 
sively,  he  would  exclaim,  not  addressing  any  one,  but  merely  to 
himself,  "  There  I  go !  'twas  a  brick  to  a  brick  house  that  card 
would  lose  when  I  staggered  up  against  it."  "Stop  your  wagon, 
dealer,"  he  would  cry  out  whenever  he  wanted  to  make  a  bet; 
"more  fish  in  the  market."  When  he  had  placed  his  bet  to  his 
satisfaction,  he  would  look  up  into  the  dealer's  face  and  say,  "It's 


WOLF-TRAPS.  373 

an  apple  to  an  orchard  I'll  lose  that.  I  feel  it,  sir !  it's  fate !" 
Should  the  bet  win  after  these  exclamations,  he  would  give  a  low 
whistle,  peculiar  to  himself,  and  then  cry  out,  "  There,  damn  me 
if  Susy  wasn't  asleep,  the  strumpet,  or  she'd  never  have  let  me 
win  that  bet."  "  Susy''  was  the  old  man's  imaginary  evil  genius, 
whom  he  believed  the  source  of  all  his  ill  luck,  and  the  torment 
of  his  life.  Often  while  the  old  man  would  be  wending  his 
way  homewards,  having  left  his  last  cent  in  some  of  the  "  traps," 
he  would  unceasingly  discourse  to  himself  on  the  topic  of  his  bad 
luck,  and  what  he  intended  doing  with  faro-dealers  when  his 
time  should  come — a  millennium  of  which  he  never  entertained 
the  shadow  of  a  doubt.  "My  day  '11  come !"  he  would  ejaculate, 
emphatically  shaking  his  head,  "my  day  '11  come,  bound  to  come; 
I'll  win  every  cent  in  town,  every  cent.  I'll  make  them  fellows 
wear  summer  suits  when  there's  snow  on  the  ground.  Damn  me 
if  I  don't  do  it,  sure!" 

The  old  man's  predictions  came  true  at  last.  One  summer  for 
a  space  of  two  months  he  gobbled  up  two  or  three  snaps  a  day 
on  an  average,  and  in  the  transports  of  his  joy  he  would  flourish 
his  spoils  in  the  faces  of  whatever  acquaintances  he  met  in  the 
streets  on  his  way  home. 

While  in  the  zenith  of  this  streak  of  luck  be  happened  one 
night  into  a  trap  where  the  roughs  had  a  "sucker"  on  the  tow- 
path.  Believing  everything  to  be  all  straight,  he  bought  some 
checks  and  pitched  in.  He  soon  won  out  what  checks  the  dealer 
had,  amounting  to  $120.  Meanwhile  the  "  gull "  had  lost  all  his 
money  and  left  the  place.  The  old  man  passed  over  his  checks 
and  demanded  money  for  them.  The  dealer  took  from  the  card- 
box  the  $15  he  had  won  from  the  "sucker,"  and  also  the  $5 
Swann  had  paid  for  checks,  and  remarking,  "I'll  be  back  in  a 
minute,  and  give  you  your  money,"  left  the  place.  The  roughs 
sneaked  after  him  one  by  one,  until  at  last  the  half-crazed  old 
man  was  the  sole  occupant  of  the  place.  When  he  had  waited  a 
full  hour,  and  no  dealer  made  his  appearance,  he  began  to  "  smell 
a  rat."  "Sold,  sartain!"  he  ejaculated.  He  picked  up  the  lay 
out  from  the  table,  and  pinned  it  to  his  shoulder,  allowing  it  to 
hang  down  his  back  below  his  knees,  in  such  a  manner  that  all 
the  cards  were  in  full  view,  from  the  ace  to  the  king.  He  then 
pitched  the  checks  into  the  card-box,  and  placed  it  under  his  arm, 
in  such  a  manner  that  the  brass  eagle  and  thirteen  stars  might 


374  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

be  seen  by  every  person  who  passed  him.  In  his  other  hand  he 
took  the  dealing- box,  and  thus  accoutred  made  his  appearance 
on  the  street.  The  old  fellow  was  immediately  surrounded  by 
a  crowd  of  boys,  nearly  all  of  whom  were  well  acquainted  with 
his  eccentricities,  and  followed  with  unearthly  hootiugs  and  shout 
ings  of  approval,  and  who,  on  catching  sight  of  any  of  their  com 
rades,  would  cry  out,  "Come  here,  boys;  old  Swann's  tuck  in  a 
farrer-bauk  at  last !" 

It  was  the  last  he  ever  captured.  He  never  gave  any  reason 
whatever  for  the  change  in  his  conduct,  but  was  never  known 
to  play  at  faro  afterwards,  neither  did  he  ever  enter  a  gambling- 
house. 

He  persistently  refused  to  give  up  the  tools,  though  the  money 
due  him,  $120,  was  considerably  more  than  they  were  worth,  and 
was  repeatedly  offered  him  in  exchange;  but  he  refused  every 
overture,  and  swore  that  untold  wealth  could  not  induce  him  to 
part  with  them. 

The  roughs  seldom  extracted  more  than  $100  from  any  one 
person,  when  amusing  them  with  check  games  or  other  recrea 
tions  of  that  stamp,  In  fact,  such  a  sum  as  that  would  be  consid 
ered  by  them  a  big  haul.  Of  this  kind  of  plunder,  twenty-five 
per  cent,  went  to  the  house,  and  the  balance  being  divided  up 
between  the  dealer  and  the  roper  who  brought  the  "gull." 
They  gave  to  the  cappers  whatever  they  pleased.  A  few  of  the 
proprietors  of  these  "traps,"  like  Robbins,  would  not  permit  any 
"check  games"  to  go  on  in  their  places,  and  when  a  dealer 
wished  to  put  up  a  bank,  they  required  him  to  put  up  his  money 
in  advance,  and  themselves  gave  checks  for  the  amount,  and, 
moreover,  watched  him  closely  that  he  did  not  over-play  himself. 

But  if  a  "  sucker"  got  into  the  dealing-chair,  every  art  known 
to  the  roughs  was  put  in  practice  to  rob  him  of  his  money,  and 
not  only  "suckers,"  but  the  shrewdest  of  dealers  fell  victims 
to  their  machinations.  Their  checks  would  be  corked,  the 
horse-hair  played  on  them,  or  perhaps  bets  dropped  on  them,  and 
frequently  all  three  of  these  artful  schemes  were  put  in  opera 
tion  at  one  and  the  same  time.  As  many  of  my  readers  may  not 
be  posted  up  on  the  modus -operandi  of  these  arts,  I  will  en 
deavor  to  describe  them,  as  far  as  in  me  lies,  for  their  benefit. 
It  is  said  that  "corking"  first  originated  at  the  "  Tapis  Franc," 
Ann  street,  New  York.  I  am  not  in  a  position  to  either  contra- 


WOLF- TRAPS.  375 

diet  or  substantiate  that  fact,  therefore  I  shall  pass  it  over. 
It  was,  at  all  events,  a  very  clever  device  in  a  rough  way  to  rob 
faro-dealers.  The  chocks  of  a  faro-bank  are  generally  set  up 
in  stacks  of  twenty  each,  the  different  colors  being  placed  sepa 
rate,  and  the  piles  ranged  against  the  side  of  the  card- box,  three 
or  four  deep.  At  the  present  day  card-boxes  are  not  in  use,  and 
the  checks  are  stacked  in  piles  of  twenty  each,  and  placed  in  little 
wooden  trays,  made  for  that  purpose.  It  has  generally  been  the 
custom  in  gambling-houses  to  leave  the  checks  on  the  table  all 
night ;  however,  a  manipulator  may  cork  a  set  of  checks  at  any 
time  while  a  game  is  not  going  on,  if  he  desires.  It  is  accom 
plished  by  taking  ten  or  fifteen  checks  from  one  of  the  back 
piles.  To  hide  this  theft,  a  potato  or  a  carrot  of  the  same  size 
as  the  check  in  circumference,  and  precisely  the  height  of  the 
fifteen  exti'acted  checks,  is  put  in  their  place,  and  the  five  left 
in  that  pile  is  placed  on  top  of  this  vegetable  or  wood,  and  the 
deception  is  perfect.  In  this  manner  the  checks  from  four  or 
five  of  the  back  piles  are  abstracted ;  more  often  but  two  or 
three  are  stolen,  for  fear  that  the  taking  of  too  many  might  lead 
to  detection.  The  dealer,  on  opening  his  game,  seeing  before 
him  the  usual  number  of  stacks  of  checks,  is  satisfied,  arid  when 
the  game  has  gotten  well  under  way,  the  stolen  checks  would 
be  played  in  upon  him.  Sometimes  the  thieves  around  the  traps 
would  not  give  the  dealers  a  chance  to  win  the  stolen  plunder, 
but  "  palm  it"  to  some  of  their  pals  and  let  them  get  the  money 
for  it.  On  the  occasions  when  this  state  of  things  happened, 
a  grand  row  was  the  general  result  if  the  bank  was  broken, 
about  the  bank  over-playing  itself,  some  of  the  betters  having 
checks  and  no  money  in  the  bank  to  redeem.  If  the  checks 
were  stacked  up  the  fraud  was  at  once  discoverable,  from  the 
finding  more  checks  than  the  piles  designated.  In  "  traps  "  where 
everything  was  conducted  "on  the  square,"  the  piles  of  checks 
were  examined  every  morning,  to  make  sure  that  they  had  not 
been  tampered  with  in  this  way;  but  with  those  who  run  their 
dens  on  the  "grab-all"  principle,  corking  was  one  of  their  reg 
ular  devices  for  ridding  a  verdant  dealer  of  his  money. 

Dropping  on  a  banker  is  probably  coeval  with  the  earliest 
playing  of  all  games  of  chance.  It  is  generally  done  at  faro, 
while  the  dealer  is  making  his  turn.  For  instance,  the  opera 
tor  seats  himself  in  front  of  the  table,  and,  while  the  dealer  is 


376  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

making  his  turn,  all  eyes  being  concentrated  on  the  dealing-box 
to  see  tne  result,  in  the  meantime  he  can  drop,  unperceived,  a 
pile  of  checks,  com,  or  bank-notes  behind  the  three  cards  near 
est  him,  should  he  soe  that  neither  of  these  cards  is  the  losing 
one;  thus,  by  a  trick,  having  a  chance  to  win,  and  none  to  lose. 
Dropping  money  on  games  has  been  practiced  successfully  upon 
the  shrewdest  faro-dealers  in  this  country;  but  only  when 
they  have  placed  too  n.uch  confidence  in  the  honesty  of  those 
who  were  guilty  of  so  dastardly  a  deed.  Even  the  loosest  charac 
ter  bearing  the  name  ol  gambler  would  hesitate  before  he  perpe 
trated  such  an  act,  knowing  it  would  close  against  him  the  doors 
of  every  respectable  gambling-house  where  the  monstrous 
meanness  became  known.  Such  acts,  however,  have  been  and 
will  be  repeatedly  done  by  a  certain  class  of  outsiders — men,  too, 
moving  in  good  society,  who  imagine  the  "besting"  of  a  gamb 
ler,  no  difference  by  what  means,  is  an  able  piece  of  finesse,  and 
will  add  a  feather  to  their  caps,  instead  of  being  a  dishonorable 
action,  reprobated  by  all  right-minded  people. 

One  Doctor  Boyden  opened  in  Philadelphia,  in  the  summer  of 
1856,  a  faro-bank  with  a  declared  limit  of  one  hundred  dollars 
open.  A  man  named  Kelly,  a  prominent  political  leader,  was 
playing  against  the  game  one  night,  who  was  also  a  man  of  some 
wealth.  He  laid  a  folded  bank-note  behind  the  queen.  A  young 
man  named  Cheatham  was  dealing  at  the  time;  he  took  up  the 
note,  examined  it,  and  found  its  denomination  to  be  $50.  He 
then  placed  it  back  where  it  had  lain  at  first;  it  was  won  by  the 
bank.  Several  bets  of  the  same  amount  were  won  and  lost,  until 
finally  the  dealer  turned  for  them  without  examination.  On 
one  of  these  bills  losing,  Kelly  snatched  it  up,  and  made  a  move 
ment  in  a  passionate  manner,  as  if  he  were  going  to  tear  the  bill 
in  two  pieces  between  his  fingers,  but  as  quickly  recovering  him 
self,  and  acting  as  if  ashamed  of  his  ungeutlemanly  behavior, 
threw  the  bill  over  to  the  dealer,  who,  on  unfolding  it,  discovered 
it  to  be  a  fifty-dollar  bill.  Twice  in  succession  did  Mr.  Kelly 
perform  this  pantomimic  feat.  He  was  a  political  rowdy  leader, 
and  consequently  a  man  of  might  in  the  community,  and  the 
dealer  was  obliged  to  submit  to  his  little  eccentricities.  On 
the  third  time  the  note  won,  and  on  examination,  Mr.  Cheatham 
discovered  it  to  be  a  $1,000  bill.  Cheatham,  without  saying  a 
word,  payed  the  bet  with  a  stack  of  red  checks  valued  at  $100. 


WOLF-TRAPS,  377 

Kelly  insisted  on  the  note  being  paid  in  full :  the  dealer  refused. 
"Pay  it  d— n  quick,"  roared  Kelly,  "or  I'll  get  into  that  drawer 
and  take  it."  But  the  bluff  failed  to  have  the  desired  effect;  it 
was  not  exactly  the  way  to  get  money  from  the  fiery  Cheatham, 
who  eould  bluff  as  loud  and  as  long  as  the  best  of  them,  and 
would  have  been  a  dangerous  customer  from  whom  to  endeavor 
to  force  money,  in  ordinary  cases,  by  intimidation.  But  in  the 
present  instance  he  had  no  show;  Kelly  was  above  the  law  in 
anything  he  wished  to  do  to  a  gambler  j  he  started  to  put  his 
threat  into  execution  by  violence,  and  was  only  prevented  from 
doing  so  by  the  remonstrances  of  some  of  his  more  temperate 
friends,  who  pacified  him  by  urging  him  to  await  the  decision  of 
Doctor  Boyden,  at  that  time  sick  in  his  room  at  the  Interna 
tional  Hotel.  Billy  Cheatham  positively  declined  to  pay  any  more 
than  $100,  the  avowed  limit  of  the  bank.  (<What,  pay  you 
$1,000,  you  big  thief!  Why,  you've  already  lost  that  bill  twice, 
and  then  snatched  it  up  and  put  $50  in  its  place.  Playing  a 
drop  game,  are  ye?  Who  ever  heard  of  you  betting  $1,000  on 
any  thing?  It  'd  shake  the  liver  out  of  ye !  At  any  rate  if  ye  did 
'twould  be  with  the  expectation  of  stealing  a  thousand !" 

Billy's  tirade  here  received  a  check  from  one  of  Kelly's  fol 
lowers,  who  sung  out,  "  Is  it  Kelly  wouldn't  bet  a  thousand  dol 
lars?  Faith  he  would  that,  an'  Philadelphia  on  top  av  it  if  the 
humor  seized  him,  at  the  toss  av  a  copper." 

"Oh!  pay  the  money,  Cheatham,  d — n  it,  and  don't  try  to  crawl 
out  of  it  that  way,"  chimed  in  another  friend  of  Kelly's. 

"If  he  dont,  I'll  fling  the  weasen-faced  puppy  out  o'  the 
winder !"  roared  another  gentleman,  who  evidently  contained  a 
considerable  quantity  of  whiskey. 

"A  nice  rooster  to  cum  here  and  swindle  one  o'  the  boys!" 
bawled  another  worthy. 

"Oh,  the  devil,  Cheatham!  pay  the  money,  can't  you,  and  let's 
go  on  with  the  game,"  chimed  in  an  impatient  individual  at  the 
table. 

"  That's  right,  Billy,  what  yer  turn  fur  ye've  got  to  pay,"  was 
the  verdict  of  another.  Not  a  single  voice  was  raised  in  favor  of 
the  bank,  and  though  several  persons  were  present  who  would 
not  countenance  such  a  fraud,  they  prudently  held  their  peace, 
not  daring  to  express  an  opinion  contrary  to  that  of  Kelly  and 
his  party. 


378  -WANDERINGS  OP  A  VAGABOND. 

Cheatham  now  sent  a  messenger  to  Boyden  for  instructions, 
who,  having  heard  the  particulars  of  the  affair,  directed  the 
money  to  be  paid  in  full  and  the  game  to  be  continued.  The 
result  proved  the  wisdom  of  his  course.  Kelly  lost  back  to  the 
bank  the  thousand  dollars  of  which  he  had  defrauded  it, '  and 
about  two  thousand  more,  and  during  a  three  weeks'  play  the 
game  won  about  $10,000. 

Having  so  far  digressed,  I  shall  mention  another  instance  of 
the  "drop-game,"  which  occurred  in  Toledo,  Ohio, in  1868.  The 
swindler  in  this  case  was  one  of  the  best  practicing  lawyers  in 
the  place,  moving  in  the  highest  circles,  and  wealthy.  In  the 
city  was  a  faro-bank,  dealt  by  a  resident  gambler,  at  which  he 
was  a  constant  player,  and  having  been  at  about  that  period 
a  loser  to  a  considerable  amount,  he  conceived  the  idea  of  get 
ting  some  of  it  back,  by  robbing  the  proprietor  through  the 
"  drop-game."  The  limit  of  this  game  was  $50,  and  he  well 
knew  that,  even  if  he  succeeded  in  dropping  a  thousand  dollar 
bill  against  it,  he  could  not  bully  this  banker  into  paying  it,  in 
the  despicable  manner  in  which  Kelly  had  Boyden.  Consequently 
a  few  days  before  putting  his  game  into  execution,  he  borrowed 
of  the  banker  $1,000,  who,  having  every  confidence  in  his  in 
tegrity,  loaned  it  to  him  without  the  slightest  hesitation,  asking 
for  no  acknowledgment  whatever  in  return.  Shortly  after  this, 
while  playing  at  the  game,  he  bet  a  folded  note,  which  won,  and 
being  unfolded  proved  to  be  a  $1,000  bill.  The  dealer  offered 
to  pay  it  with  $50,  the  avowed  limit  of  his  game.  The  law 
yer  insisted  on  payment  being  made  to  the  full  amount  of  the 
bill,  which  the  banker  emphatically  refused.  "Then  I'll  pay 
myself,"  retorted  the  lawyer;  "I  owed  you  a  thousand  dol 
lars,  and  now  I  owe  you  nothing."  He  excused  this  outrage 
ous  conduct  by  saying  that  when  he  bet  the  note  he  did  so 
under  the  impression  that  its  value  was  but  ten  dollars;  but 
that  at  gambling  mistakes  went  for  nothing,  and  as  the  bill  was 
turned  for  without  anything  being  said  about  its  value,  the  bank 
was  bound  to  pay  the  full  amount. 

Had  the  dealer,  as  was  undoubtedly  his  duty,  examined  the 
bill  before  he  turned  for  it,  and  not  have  placed  so  much  confi 
dence  in  men  just  because  they  were  wealthy  and  bore  the 
stamp  of  respectability,  he  would  not  have  lost  his  $1000,  and 
one  of  his  best  customers  with  it. 


WOLF-TRAPS.  379 

But,  as  fashionable  novel-writers  are  fond  of  saying,  "  revenons 
a  nos  moutons,"  or,  to  speak  more  correctly,  in  this  instance,  to 
our  "wolf-traps."  It  was  in  these  that  the  "horse -hair  game" 
was  first  put  in  practice,  and  successfully  played  upon  the  very 
sharpest  dealers  who  set  up  banks  there,  for  more  than  two 
months  before  being  detected.  When  ''dropping  down"  on  the 
dealer  would  not  be  tolerated,  the  "horse-hair  game"  was 
worked.  Neither  case-keepers  nor  cue-papers  were  ever  used 
in  those  days,  and  persons  desirous  of  playing  upon  case-cards 
were  obliged  to  tax  their  memories  in  order  to  do  so.  To  play 
the  "horse-hair  game"  scientifically,  required  two  persons,  a 
full  board  of  players,  and  many  bets  on  the  lay-out.  The  ma 
nipulator  took  a  position  in  front  of  the  table  and  played  small, 
until  one  of  the  cards  near  him  became  "  dead."  This  card  he 
made  his  base^for  operating.  His  "pal,"  immediately  upon  its 
becoming  "dead,"  placed  upon  it  a  couple  of  stacks  of  white 
checks,  of  about  twenty  each.  The  operator  places  behind  these, 
ten  or  fifteen  red  ones,  to  the  bottom  one  of  which  is  attach 
ed  the  end  of  a  horse-hair,  the  other  end  being  fastened  to  one 
Of  his  vest-buttons.  For  example,  we  will  say  that  the  "dead," 
or  base-card,  is  the  Jack,  next  it  on  the  lay-out  are  the  ten  and 
queen,  and  four  or  five  of  these  cards  are  still  in  the  dealing-box. 
Should  he  see  one  of  these  cards  come  winning,  while  the 
dealer  is  making  his  turn,  and  all  eyes  are  concentrated  on  the 
cards  as  they  fall  from  the  box,  he  leans  gently  back  in  his  chair, 
and  as  he  does  so  the  movement  drags  the  stack  of  red  checks 
from  off  the  Jack,  taking  in  the  winning  card  behind  it.  This 
trick  could  be  played  two  or  three  times  during  a  deal,  and  on  a 
verdant  dealer  twice  as  often.  It  was  finally  first  detected  one 
day,  by  a  "sucker,"  who  was  playing  in  one  of  the  "traps."  He 
was  petrified  by  the  extraordinary  spectacle  of  a  stack  of  red 
checks  creeping  slowly  from  off  a  card,  without  any  visible 
means  of  locomotion.  After  watching  them  for  a  moment  in 
dazed  silence,  he  gave  vent  to  his  amazement  by  bawling  out, 
"Look !  look !"  pointing  at  the  same  time  to  the  traveling  checks, 
"darned  if  them  there  checks  ain't  alive!"  It  is  needless  to 
add  that  this  led  to  the  discovery  of  the  trick. 


380  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

CHAPTER    XXX.  \ 

SHARP     PRACTICE. 

The  story  I  am  abo'.t  to  relate  was  considered,  some  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  years  ag:,  a  good  joke.  When  such  frauds  were 
successfully  carried  oir,  their  perpetrators  enjoyed  their  dishonest 
gains  without  the  smanest  conscientious  scruples,  and  when  the 
secret  was  discovered,  and  their  nefarious  acts  exposed  to  the 
light  of  day,  the  verdict  was,  "a  good  joke."  The  victim  of 
such  sharp  practice  received  about  as  much  sympathy  from  his 
own  brethren  in  the  profession,  as  from  the  outside  world;  the 
opinion  being  pretty  generally,  "  served  him  right,  if  he  couldn't 
protect  himself."  But  to  lessen  the  offense,  or  rather  to  rid 
such  "jokes"  from  the  odium  of  theft,  which  somehow  would 
attach  itself  to  them  ;i  the  minds  of  foolishly  straight-laced 
people,  it  was  altered  to  "  served  him  right  if  he  couldn't  take  a 
joke !"  Alas,  for  how  many  a  bare-faced  robbery  has  this  miser 
able  proverb  been  tho  apology!  Happily,  among  the  gambling 
fraternity  such  sophisms  are  no  longer  excuses  for  committing  a 
fraud,  nor  can  they  si^e  the  perpetrator  from  the  general  con 
demnation  he  so  richly  merits,  or  the  scorn  and  loathing  of  his 
brethren. 

In  the  city  of  St.  Louis,  during  the  summer  of  1844,  one  of 
these  "good  jokes"  was  perpetrated  upon  a  blear-eyed,  lame 
gambler,  who  ran  a  faro-bank  in  the  place.  James  Ashby  was 
this  gentleman's  name,  and  he  was  the  dressiest  "cove"  in  the 
whole  city,  and  adorr.c  i  his  rather  magnificent  person  with  more 
diamonds  than  any  gontleman — or  lady  either,  for  the  matter  of 
that — in  St.  Louis.  In  addition  to  the  gold  and  diamonds  which 
decorated  his  person  while  limping  along  the  streets,  he  invaria 
bly  held  in  his  moutn  a  massive  gold  pencil,  and  as  the  end 
protruded  beyond  tbe  side  of  his  face,  a  large  brilliant  flashed 
back  the  rays  of  the  sun  or  the  light  from  the  gas-lamps  upon 
all  he  met,  and  a  ha:i  Jsome  gold-headed  cane  was  his  constant 
companion.  When  the  remains  of  Mr.  Ashby  were  planted 
beneath  the  sod,  and  he  was  no  more  seen  in  the  places  which 
lately  knew  him,  cyLical  and  envious  persons  belonging  to  his 
profession  were  not  wanting,  who  insisted  that  his  demise  was 


SHARP  PRACTICE.  381 

greatly  hastened  by  the  enormous  weight  of  jewelry  with  which 
he  \vas  accustomed  to  burden  himself  cUrlng  his  life.  Ashhy 
was  very  generally  disliked  by  the  sporting  fraternity,  as  much 
because  of  his  vanity  and  foppishness  as  for  his  reticent  and 
unsociable  disposition.  His  faro-bank,  wh.ch  had  played  for  the 
space  of  two  years  with  more  than  average  luck,  had  lightened 
the  pockets  of  many  of  them,  which  did  not  tend  to  do  away 
•with  or  soften  their  animosity. 

Among  those  who  had  played  frequently  at  Ashby's  bank, 
with  luck  pretty  generally  on  the  wrong  jide,  was  a  humorous 
genius  from  Georgia,  named  Morton,  muca  better  known  by  the 
sobriquet  of  "  Georgia  John."  He  was  considered  a  good  gamb 
ler,  but  his  improvident  habits,  and  his  inordinate  fondness  for 
"fighting  the  tiger,"  kept  him  impoverished.  His  genial  and 
generous  disposition  and  his  many  comprrionable  qualities  made 
him  a  universal  favorite  with  all  with  whrvn  he  came  in  contact, 
and  from  many  of  them  he  wheedled  checks  to  gratify  his  passion 
for  playing  against  the  bank.  Although  Le  was  generally  in  the 
habit  of  losing  his  money  with  the  be?*;  grace,  the  frequent 
scourings  which  had  overtaken  him  at  Ashby's  had  made  him 
rather  peevish,  and  disposed  at  times  to  Lt  fly  some  of  his  pun 
gent  sarcasms  at  the  devoted  head  of  A:'iby,  in  revenge  for  his 
heavy  losses.  The  waspish  nature  of  thio  latter  gentleman  was 
not  destitute  of  the  exponent  of  a  sharp  tongue  with  which  to 
parry  and  thrust,  and  the  consequence  was  that  some  by  no 
means  gentle  bantering  took  place  betweci  himself  and  ''Geor 
gia." 

The  latter,  after  one  day  losing  his  ast  dollar  against  his 
bank,  remarked  to  Ashby,  "If  ever  I  Lave  one-tenth  part  as 
much  good  luck  against  this  cursed  ban,!  as  I've  had  bad,  I'll 
send  that  jewelry  of  yours  kitin'  to  the  pawn-shop,  and  have 
you  walking  the  streets  like  a  picked  goo°e." 

"Too  much  o'  the  white-washed  nigge  in  you  for  that,  Geor 
gia.  You'll  never  be  any  account  till  I  .  vn  you;  I'm  certain  I 
shall,  some  day.  All  I'm  keeping  my  game  open  for  's  to  win 
you ! " 

"I  s'pose  you'll  take  good  care  o'  me  then,  won't  you?"  in 
quired  "  Georgia." 

"The  best  in  the  world/' returned  h:  tormentor.  "I'll  only 
flog  you  three  times  a  week,  and  give  you  an  extra  dozen  or  so 
Sundays." 


382  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

From  that  moment  "Georgia's"  mind  was  made  up  to  give  Ash- 
by  a  chance  to  win  him.  He  made  his  plan  known  to  a  friend 
who  had  frequently  staked  him  to  play  faro,  and  who  was  "him 
self  a  high  roller  against  that  highly  fascinating  institution.  This 
immaculate  gentleman  was  a  horse-drover,  and  also  owner  of  a 
large  farm  on  the  Missouri  river,  near  Lexington  in  that  State. 
Like  the  majority  of  those  who  trade  in  that  deceptive  article, 
horse-flesh,  he  was  not  over-scrupulous  as  to  how  he  made  his 
money,  provided  his  liberty  was  not  endangered  by  His  transac 
tions.  He  made  frequent  visits  to  St.  Louis,  and  while  there, 
besides  attending  to  his  regular  business,  contrived  to  spend 
considerable  time  fighting  the  tiger,  notably  the  animal  main 
tained  by  Mr.  Ashby ;  and  the  tiger  had  decidedly  the  best  of 
the  bargain.  This  gentleman  then  having  a  small  axe  of  his  own 
to  grind,  in  the  way  of  getting  even  with  Ashby,  consented  with 
alacrity  to  assist  Morton  in  his  plans.  He  called  on  Ashby, 
and  informed  him  he  had  a  likely  negro,  whom  he  had  raised, 
and  jf  he  wanted  to  win  him  at  faro  at  $500,  he  could  do  so. 

"Niggers  are  money,"  replied  that  worthy.  "Bring  him 
along  and  let  me  see  him;  if  he's  worth  $500  I'll  play  for  him." 

No  better  delineator  of  negro  character  than  "  Georgia"  ever 
attained  celebrity  in  the  annals  of  burnt  cork.  He  would  have 
made  an  invaluable  "end  man."  He  could  imitate  every  phase 
of  negro  character,  from  the  dandefied  "colored  gentleman," 
down  to  the  lowest  field-hand  of  the  southern  plantation;  he 
could  assume  their  gait,  speech,  and  peculiarities,  until  it  was 
impossible  for  even  the  negroes  themselves  to  detect  the  cheat. 
Having  made  the  acquaintance  of  some  negro  minstrels  then 
performing  in  the  city,  they  fitted  him  up  a  "ISAfricaine," 
and  when  he  presented  himself  before  his  "massa"  for  approval, 
he  appeared  a  regular  cotton-field  nigger.  Eph.  Horn  himself 
could  not  have  surpassed  him. 

"  Here's  that  boy  I  spoke  of,  Mr.  Ashby ;  see  how  you  like 
him?"  said  the  drover,  presenting  "  Georgia"  to  that  gentleman 
in  his  faro-room. 

Several  persons  were  present  at  the  time,  and  "Georgia  "at 
once  became  the  centre  of  attraction,  but  his  disguise  was  im 
penetrable.  His  own  mother  could  not  have  detected  him,  so 
well  did  he  assume  the  character  he  represented. 

"He's  rather  short,  isn't  he?"  asked  Ashby  of  the  drover, 
after  taking  a  close  survey  of  the  pretended  "chattel." 


SHAKP  PKACTICE.  383 

"  He's  a  powerful  made  boy,  an'  can  do  a  deal  o'  work,"  re 
plied  the  drover. 

"How  old  is  he?"  inquired  Ashby. 

"  Twenty-eight  years.  He  was  raised  on  my  place,  an'  I'll 
ensure  him  to  be  sound  in  every  respect,"  replied  the  pretended 
master. 

Ashby  was  seated  in  the  look-out  chair  during  this  colloquy, 
while  his  dealer  was  conducting  the  game  for  the  few  persons 
who  were  playing.  He  now  turned  to  "Georgia,"  and  addressed 
him  in  somewhat  the  following  style.  "What's  your  name?" 

"Jacub,  sah!  but  they  calls  me  Jake  fur  short." 

"Where  were  you  raised,  Jacob?" 

"On  de  place,  sah!  an  I  cum  down de  ribber  on  de  stemebote, 
sah." 

"What  can  you  do  on  a  farm,  Jacob?" 

"I'se  knows  all  'bout  dat,  sah." 

"But  what  can  you  do?" 

"Fse  chops  de  wood, an'  dribes  de  cattle,  an'  makes  defence, 
plows,  dus  mos  ebrytiug  dey  tells  me,  I  dus!" 

"Can  you  wait  on  a  gentleman?" 

"No,  sah!  I  duseut  knows  de  gemrnens ! "  replied  "Georgia," 
stupidly  scratching  his  wig. 

"Well,  I  think  I'll  take  a  crack  for  Jacob,  anyhow,"  said 
Ashby,  at  the  same  time  requesting  his  dealer  to  rise  from  the 
chair,  that  he  might  take  his  place.  When  he  had  done  so,  he 
handed  $500  worth  of  checks  to  the  horse-dealer,  which  he  bet  in 
a  lively  tune,  at  least  just  as  much  so  as  the  bank  would  allow, 
the  limit  being  $25  and  $100.  The  game  progressed  without  a 
word  being  spoken  by  either. 

The  novelty  of  seeing  a  slave  played  for  at  a  faro-bank  was 
something  new  and  exciting  to  the  bystanders,  who  watched  the 
game  with  absorbing  interest.  The  sympathies  of  the  crowd 
were  decidedly  with  the  drover,  a  fact  which  could  not  overbal 
ance  Ashby's  luck.  "The  boy's  yourn,  Mr.  Ashby,"  said  the 
drover,  rising  from  his  seat  after  losing  his  last  check. 

Ashby,  delighted  at  his  good  fortune,  leaned  back  in  his  seat, 
looked  toward  his  captured  treasure  and  asked  him  jocosely  how 
he'd  like  him  "for  a  master." 

"  Georgia,"  who  had  watched  the  game  throughout  with  as  much 
interest  as  if  his  liberty  were  really  at  stake,  straightened  him- 


384  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

self  up  and  said,  "I'se  likes  yer  berry  much,  massa.  Won't  yer 
give  Jake  ten  bucks  ter  buy  hisself  some  close,  so  he  look  nice 
'uioug  de  gemuieus?  I'se  knows  where  dere's  a  bully  suit  fur  ten 
dollars,  ruassa!" 

Ashby  stared  at  his  lately  won  chattel  with  blank  astonish 
ment,  while  a  titter  ran  round  the  room. 

''Give  you  ten  bucks'?''  exclaimed  Ashby,  who  had  not  failed 
to  see  the  smiles  on  the  faces  of  several  of  his  players  at  Jake's 
sally,  and  his  temper  not  being  at  all  improved  by  it.  "That's 
rich!"  he  continued,  "you  impudent  black  scoundrel!  I'll  give 
you  ten  lashes  with  a  raw -hide." 

"You'll  have  a  damn  nice  time  doing  it,  old  sport,"  retorted 
"Georgia"  in  his  natural  voice,  at  the  same  time  tearing  off  his 
wig  and  wiping  the  burnt  cork  from  his  face.  "Ashby,  you 
said  you'd  win  me,  and  you've  done  it  now!  After  me  a  long 
time,  old  boy,  but  you've  got  me  at  last,"  cried  "  Georgia," 
laughing. 

The  bewildered  eyes  of  Ashby  stared  at  the  face  of  "  Georgia" 
as  if  it  had  been  the  head  of  the  Gorgon.  As  soon  as  he  had 
gathered  his  scattered  senses  sufficiently  to  realize  the  fact  that 
he  had  been  most  thoroughly  sold,  he  seized  his  cane  and  limped 
from  the  room  without  speaking  a  single  word,  while  deafen 
ing  shouts  of  laughter  greeted  his  ears  and  pursued  him  far 
down  the  street,  nor  did  he  even  show  himself  in  public  again 
for  a  week. 

But  scarcely  three  months  had  passed  before  Ashby  revenged 
himself  upon  "  Georgia"  for  the  mortifying  trick  he  had  played  so 
publicly  upon  him. 

The  white  "gemmen"  had  got  to  behave  so  rudely  at  the 
negro  balls,  that  the  "culled  aristocracy"  decided  not  to  admit 
them  any  more,  either  for  love  or  money.  During  this  ostracism 
"Georgia"  made  a  bet  that  he  would  attend  one  of  them,  and, 
moreover,  pass  an  evening  there  without  being  expelled,  or  in 
any  way  interfered  with.  This  wager  having  reached  the  ears 
of  Ashby,  he  concluded  that  "Georgia,"  in  order  to  win  it,  would 
try  some  masquerading  scheme  upon  the  "nigs,"  such  as  the 
one  by  which  he  had  been  so  cleverly  imposed  upon.  He  there 
fore  set  a  spy  to  watch  him,  and  also  called  to  his  aid  a  free 
negro,  known  as  "Buffalo  Frank."  This  ruffian  was  a  fireman 
on  a  steamer  plying  between  St.  Louis  and  New  Orleans.  He 


SHAKP  PRACTICE.  385 

was  a  willing  tool  in  the  bauds  of  Ash  by,  or,  in  fact,  in  the  hands 
of  any  one  who  would  pay  him  liberally.  He  would  stick  at 
nothing,  was  capable  of  committing  every  crime  iu  the  calendar, 
if  he  thought  he  could  in  any  way  escape  punishment,  and 
could  whip  everything  in  the  shape  of  a  man  in  the  Mississippi 
valley. 

"Georgia,"  in  the  character  of  a  nigger  swell,  succeeded  ad 
mirably  at  the  "culled  pusson's"  ball.  He  spent  his  money  like 
a  prince,  danced  gracefully,  and  made  himself  generally  agreea 
ble  to  the  colored  beauties.  The  nattering  reception  he  received 
from  them,  and  their  evident  admiration  of  the  stranger,  roused 
the  jealousy  of  the  "  bucks,"  but  their  extreme  politeness  in  such 
cases,  and  the  sanctity  of  the  place,  would  not  allow  them  to 
show  any  rudeness  to  the  well-dressed  stranger  openly,  but 
"Who  dat  nigger?"  "Who  es  'im  ?""  Who  knows  'im?"  was 
buzzed  about  among  the  colored  beaux,  but  these  questions  no 
one  could  answer.  "Georgia"  was  an  unknown.  The  chances 
wei'e  certainly  that  he  would  win  his  bet,  besides  having  the 
unbounded  happiness  of  passing  an  evening  in  the  society  of  the 
colored  belles;  but 

"  Pleasures  arc  like  poppies  spread, 
You  seize  the  flower,  its  bloom  is  shed." 

Buffalo  Frank  had  his  eye  on  "Georgia."  He  had  not  lost 
sight  of  him  for  a  single  moment  since  his  arrival,  but  he  was 
waiting  for  him  to  leave  the  presence  of  the  "ladies."  The  mo 
ment  he  withdrew  from  the  ball-room  to  the  refreshment  room, 
Frank  seized  the  opportunity,  stepped  up  to  him  and  inquired, 
superciliously,  "Whar  you  frum,  uiggah?" 

"Fruin  de  ladies,  sah! "  returned  "  Georgia,"with  his  politest 
bow. 

"Yer  looks  a  berry  shiney  nigger,"  retorted  Frank,  contempt 
uously;  "  dus  yer  rnassa  buys  dese  close,  or  dus  yer  steel  em?" at 
the  same  time  rubbing  his  hand  over  Georgia's  coat-sleeve. 

"Look  heah,  sah!"  said  "Georgia,"  indignantly  straightening 
himself  up  till  he  reached  the  height  of  about  five  feet  six  inch 
es,  and  slapping  his  breast  with  his  open  palm,  "Dis  chile's 
his  own  massa,  and  buys  his  own  close,  and  what's  more,  he's  got 
de  sope  to  do  it  wid." 

"Whar  dus  ye  git  de  sope? "  demanded  Frank. 


386  WANDEKINGS  OP  A  VAGABOND. 

"I'se  tears  de  ribber  wide  open  fur  it  on  de  bully  Scott,"  re 
plied  "Georgia." 

"De  bully  Scott,  hey?  Dat's  de  bote  yer  on,  is  it?  I'se  been 
lookin'  fur  some  o'  dat  bote's  niggers  some  time,"  said  Frank,  at 
the  same  time  giving  him  a  stunner  under  the  eye  that  sent 
him  sprawling  on  the  floor,  where  he  gave  him  a  most  unmerci 
ful  kicking  and  thumping.  Through  the  interference  of  some  of 
the  "bucks,"  he  managed  to  make  his  escape,  almost  in  rags, 
with  the  loss  of  his  hat  and  wig. 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 

LEXINGTON   RACES. 

About  a  week  after  our  arrival  in  Cincinnati,  the  Major  one 
morning  introduced  me  to  a  gentleman  by  the  name  of  Mr. 
George  Roberts,  a  resident  of  Lexington,  Ky.  Mr.  Roberts 
was  a  mixed  gambler,  a  man  of  means  holding  property  in  Lex 
ington,  and  a  person  of  some  importance  there.  He  was  about 
forty-five  years  of  age,  married,  and  was  the  father  of  several 
grown-up  children.  He  speculated  in  slaves,  horses,  and  mules, 
droves  of  which  he  took  each  winter  to  the  New  Orleans  market. 
He  called  himself  a  lawyer,  though  he  never  practiced  at  the 
bar,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  local  politics  of  his  place, 
and  an  interest  in  any  faro-bank  which  happened  to  strike  his 
fancy  and  where  he  thought  there  was  some  money  to  be  made. 
He  was  fond  of  racing,  and  had  at  various  times  owned  some 
good  race-horses,  did  not  object  to  taking  a  hand  at  poker  or . 
brag  if  he  found  an  easy  game,  and  had  a  pugnacious  disposition 
for  fighting  the  tiger.  Otherwise  he  was  a  peaceably  inclined, 
mild-mannered  individual  enough.  He  was,  in  fact,  in  for  any 
thing  to  make  money,  an  article  for  which  he  entertained  the 
most  unbounded  reverence ;  but  had  still  so  great  a  regard  for 
his  reputation,  that  he  would  not  for  the  world  that  there  should 
become  attached  to  it  the  odious  name  of  gambler,  and  when 
ever  he  took  stock  with  members  of  that  profession  in  their  bus 
iness,  it  was  with  the  express  understanding  that  his  connection 
with  them  should  be  strictly  under  the  rose.  The  Major  and 


LEXINGTON  RACES.  387 

himself  were  acquaintances  of  long  standing,  and  he  had  more 
than  once  been  secretly  concerned  with  the  former  in  a  faro- 
bank  at  the  city  of  Richmond,  which  he  visited  occasionally 
during  the  summer  months  to  purchase  slaves  for  the  southern 
market. 

Mr.  Roberts  was  anxious  that  the  Major  and  myself  should  try 
our  fortune  in  the  city  of  Lexington,  where,  he  informed  us,  no 
faro-bank  existed  at  that  time,  but  material  in  plenty  for  suc 
cessfully  building  a  good  game.  Added  to  these  encouraging 
facts,  the  races  would  commence  there  in  a  few  weeks,  and  would 
of  course  draw  many  strangers  from  all  parts  of  the  surrounding 
country.  "  I  will  take  a  third  interest  in  your  bank,  play  against 
it  myself,  and  also  introduce  to  the  game  many  valuable  players; 
but  under  no  circumstances  must  it  become  known  that  I  am  in 
any  way  concerned  in  the  business."  Upon  being  reminded  by 
the  Major  that  faro-dealers  had  on  divers  occasions  received 
pretty  rough  treatment  at  the  hands  of  the  Lexington  authori 
ties,  he  answered,  decisively,  "  Have  no  fear  about  that ;  you  at 
tend  to  your  faro-game,  and  I'll  stand  between  you  and  all  harm." 
On  the  strength  of  this  assurance,  and  the  flattering  prospects 
he  opened  before  us,  we  concluded  to  start  for  Lexington  on  the 
following  morning,  whither  Mr.  Roberts  promised  to  follow  us 
within  two  or  three  days,  at  the  farthest.  He  furnished  the  Ma 
jor  with  an  introductory  letter  to  a  Mr.  Baxter,  of  Lexington, 
who  he  assured  us  would  render  us  every  assistance  in  his  power 
in  procuring  a  suitable  room,  furnishing  it,  and  getting  things 
in  train  generally. 

Arriving  in  Lexington,  we  found  Mr.  Baxter  everything  he 
had  been  represented.  He  procured  for  us  a  room  in  the  most 
desirable  location  in  the  city,  caused  it  to  be  properly  cleaned 
and  fixed  up,  and  then  bought  for  us  such  furniture  as  we  re 
quired,  all  of  it  second-hand,  but  good  and  substantial;  and  af 
ter  our  establishment,  which  contained  but  a  single  room,  was 
fitted  up  and  arranged  for  the  reception  of  our  friends,  our  en 
tire  outlay  did  not  exceed  two  hundred  dollars.  By  the  time  we 
were  ready  to  open  our  game,  Roberts  had  returned,  and  handed 
us  one  thousand  dollars  as  his  portion  of  the  bank  money.  He 
promised  he  would  introduce  to  us  what  gentlemen  faro-players 
he  was  acquainted  with,  and  would  also  himself  play  against  the 
game,  and  that  his  play  should  be  a  legitimate  one.  He  also  ad- 


388  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

vised  us  to  pay  no  attention  to  whatever  stories  we  might  hear 
concerning  interference  by  the  authorities,  but  to  place  implicit 
confidence  in  him,  as  he  should  take  measures  for  ensuring  our 
protection. 

Lexington,  though  but  a  small  town,  contained  many  faro- 
players,  some  of  whom  were  members  of  the  most  respectable 
families  in  the  place,  and  who,  as  soon  as  they  ascertained  a 
bank  had  been  set  up,  called  and  paid  their  respects  to  us,  so 
that  we  did  not  want  for  customers.  Mr.  Roberts,  as  he  had 
promised,  introduced  several  valuable  ones,  and  himself  played 
at  the  bank,  in  order  to  encourage  his  friends  to  do  so,  but  small, 
and  in  the  course  of  a  week's  time  lost  three  hundred  dollars. 
We  opened  our  game  generally  at  about  two  o'clock,  P.  M., 
closed  it  for  supper,  and  afterwards  run  the  bank  until  one  or 
two  o'clock  in  the  morning.  If  none  of  our  patrons  brought  to 
our  bank  large  sums,  they  came  often  and  frequently  if  the  bank 
was  able  to  beat  them,  and  they  showed  no  ill  temper  because  of 
their  losses,  nor  hung  growling  round  the  tables  after  they  got 
broke;  nor  were  we  ever  bothered  by  any  such  characters  as  the 
frequenters  of  the  "wolf-traps"  in  Cincinnati. 

As  the  time  for  the  races  drew  near,  our  business  rapidly  in 
creased,  and,  as  the  Major  was  obliged  to  divide  his  attention 
between  our  business  and  the  different  stables  of  racers,  which 
were  now  constantly  arriving,  and  cultivating  the  acquaintance 
of  noted  turfmen,  I  was  compelled  to  secure  the  services  of 
a  young  gentleman  resident  of  the  city  to  assist  me  in  conduct 
ing  the  game.  Even  Roberts  was  no  longer  seen  in  our  place, 
but  this  did  not  strike  me  as  anything  strange,  his  services  be 
ing  no  longer  required.  While  building  up  the  game,  and  so 
long  as  his  aid  was  needed,  he  had  done  everything  in  his  pow 
er  to  help  us,  but  now  that  our  business  had  gotten  fairly  estab 
lished,  his  visits  grew  less  frequent. 

Among  the  many  introduced  to  us  by  Mr.  Roberts,  was  one 
Col.  Bowles,  of  Baltimore,  who  had  on  the  race-track  a  stable 
of  horses.  He  was  a  turfman,  attended  all  the  race-meetings 
throughout  the  South  and  Southwest  with  his  horses.  Wher 
ever  he  could,  he  made  it  a  point  to  secure  the  gambling  privi 
lege  on  the  race-track,  and  had  engaged  it  for  the  present  meet 
ing  on  the  Lexington  course.  In  this  gentleman's  train,  besides 
his  trainers,  rubbers,  riders,  and  racers,  there  followed  a  gang 


LEXINGTON  KACES.  389 

of  the  lowest  sharpers,  who  were  in  those  days  in  the  habit  of 
infesting  race-courses,  fairs,  etc.  This  small  army,  numbering 
more  than  twenty  persons,  was  composed  of  strap-players,  dice- 
coggers,  thimble-riggers,  marked-card  " vingt-et-un"  dealers, 
snap  roulette  players,  and  their  cappers.  The  Colonel,  as  I 
have  before  mentioned,  was  accustomed  for  a  certain  sum  of 
money  to  secure  the  exclusive  privilege  of  a  course,  where  he 
placed  his  worthy  retainers,  each  to  ply  his  special  vocation.  He 
furnished  to  each  a  table  and  a  certain  sum  of  bank-money, 
with  which  to  make  a  show,  nothing  more,  for  at  one  of  these 
tables  the  only  earthly  chance  a  greenhorn  would  have  to  make 
a  winning,  was  to  snatch  what  money  was  in  sight,  and  thrash 
the  operators  and  their  cappers  and  make  off  with  it,  and  none 
but  greenhorns  ever  played  at  these  games.  The  busiest  mo 
ments  of  Col.  Bowies'  existence  were  during  a  race-meeting. 
Besides  the  care  of  his  trainers,  rubbers,  riders,  and  race-horses, 
he  was  obliged  to  watch  his  sharpers  to  see  that  they  did  not 
"sink"  on  him.  "Knocking  down"  on  their  "pals"  was  a 
regular  part  of  the  vocation  of  these  gentlemen,  and  well  was  the 
Colonel  aware  of  it.  He  had  secret  spies  sot  upon  them  during 
their  labors,  who  reported  to  him  their  every  suspicious  move 
ment,  and  should  he  find  any  of  them  not  willing  to  "rake 
square,"  he  would  fall  upon  the  unlucky  wight  with  a  heavy 
hickory  cane,  which  was  his  constant  companion;  but  having  a 
hard  set  to  deal  with,  in  his  frequent  encounters  he  sometimes 
got  hold  of  a  customer  a  little  too  tough  for  him,  and  came  out 
of  the  melee  decidedly  second  best.  At  the  time  of  which  I 
write  Col.  Bowles  was  an  entire  stranger  to  me  except  by  name, 
and  I  was  perfectly  ignorant  both  of  his  character  and  his  method 
of  doing  business,  as  was  also  the  Major.  He  was  a  short,  heavy- 
set  man,  rather  inclined  to  corpulency,  and  though  far  up  in  the 
fifties,  looked  younger.  His  stumpy  bandy-legs  supported  a 
powerful  frame,  while  poised  upon  a  short,  thick,  red-looking 
neck,  which  barely  protruded  above  a  pair  of  broad,  round  shoul 
ders,  was  a  large  bullet-shaped  head.  His  big  round  face  con 
tained  a  pair  of  small  restless  black  eyes,  which  seemed  to  be 
watching  everything  and  everybody  at  the  same  time.  His 
face  was  deeply  pock-marked,  besides  being  otherwise  cicatrized 
by  several  ugly  scars,  the  relics,  doubtless,  of  some  of  those  en 
counters  into  which  his  ungovernable  passions  were  constantly 


390  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

leading  him.  The  garments  of  the  Colonel  were  of  the  richest 
material,  but  "horsey"  in  the  extreme— ;i  .style  much  affected  at 
that  period  by  the  more  iguoraut  class  of  turfmen.  In  the  or 
namental  line  a  fine  brilliant  sparkled  in  his  ruffled  shirt-bosom, 
and  another  adorned  the  stumpy  little  finger  of  one  of  his  coarse 
hands,  and  a  heavily  embossed  gold  fob-chain,  with  a  ponderous 
seal  attached,  dangled  against  his  thigh.  In  his  hand  he  con 
stantly  carried  the  highly  polished  hickory  cane  before  mentioned, 
adorned  with  a  golden  head.  When  seated,  this  weapon  or  or 
nament,  for  I  am  ignorant  in  which  light  it  was  viewed  by  its 
possessor,  rested  between  the  legs  of  the  Colonel,  and  when  he 
slept  was  close  to  his  pillow.  Few  men  have  a  more  exalted 
opinion  of  their  own  standing  and  worth  than  had  Col.  Bowles. 
He  knew  everybody  and  everything,  whether  worth  knowing  or 
not,  and  had  the  most  contemptible  opinion  of  everybody  poorer 
than  himself.  His  manners  were  coarse  and  repulsive,  and 
towards  those  whom  he  considered  his  inferiors,  pompous  and 
overbearing  in  the  extreme,  while  to  the  wealthy  or  influential 
he  was  cringing  and  obsequious.  His  language,  which,  to  say 
the  very  least,  did  not  smack  of  the  drawing-room,  was  garnish 
ed  by  a  profusion  of  oaths  and  not  a  few  obscene  expressions. 
He  was  completely  versed  in  the  various  qualities  of  negroes, 
horses,  dogs,  and  knew  the  several  rules  appertaining  to  cock- 
fighting,  horse-racing,  and  card-playing,  by  heart,  and  whenever 
a  discussion  on  any  of  the  subjects  arose  where  he  was  present, 
the  Colonel  was  in  his  glory  and  monopolized  the  conversation, 
till,  to  use  an  old-fashioned  expression,  "  no  one  could  get  a  word 
in  edgewise." 

Although  so  entirely  dissimilar  in  natures,  manners,  and  habits, 
an  intimacy  to  me  unaccountable  sprung  up  between  Col.  Bowles 
and  Major  Jenks,  perhaps  because  I  had  taken  a  dislike  to  him 
upon  his  first  introduction  to  our  place,  and  had  seen  nothing 
upon  closer  acquaintance  calculated  to  soften  or  eradicate  my 
boyish  prejudices.  He  monopolized  the  most  of  the  Major's — 
I  was  about  to  say,  leisure  hours — but  I  shall  speak  more  cor- 
roctly  when  I  say  the  most  of  the  Major's  time,  for  it  seemed  as 
if  that  chivalrous  gentleman  had  not  a  moment  reserved  to  him 
self  except  when  he  slept.  As  to  the  bank  and  myself,  we  no 
longer  seemed  to  occupy  any  place  in  his  thoughts,  and  the  only 
time  I  enjoyed  his  society  was  while  seated  at  our  meals,  at  the 


LEXINGTON  RACES.  391 

hotel  table.  Col.  Bowles  had  no  appetite  unless  he  occupied 
the  chair  by  the  side  of  the  Major,  and  hi  these  happy  moments 
he  entertained  his  friend  with  the  pedigrees  of  celebrated  race 
horses  ;  the  qualities  of  fine  breeds  of  dogs ;  his  wonderful  ex 
ploits  on  the  turf,  in  the  cock-pit,  and  at  the  gaming-table. 
The  Colonel  always  figured  as  winner  in  these  tales;  at  least  he 
never  figured  in  any  other  role  in  any  of  them,  except  that  of  a 
victorious  hero.  His  field  of  operation  had  been  confined  en 
tirely  to  the  Southern  States,  of  whose  productions  and  people, 
their  manners,  habits,  and  wealth,  he  had  the  most  unbounded 
and  minute  knowledge.  But  from  this  generous  and  chivalric 
race  he  had  sought  as  associates  but  a  few  of  the  wealthiest, 
most  renowned  and  powerful,  who  were  either  lordly  planters, 
the  owners  of  untold  acres  and  thousands  of  slaves,  or  men  hold 
ing  high  political  positions,  whose  confidence  he  had  won  by  his 
fascinating  qualities  as  companion,  his  incorruptible  honesty, 
and  his  wonderful  brains.  "Why,  damn  me,  Major,"  he  would 
exclaim,  getting  enthusiastic  on  his  subject,  "if  there  ain't  Judge 
Kleper,  o'  Charleston,  that  'ud  put.  up  his  last  nigger  every  time 
on  my  mar'  Molly  Spiker,  if  I  told  Mm  to  go  it !"  The  Colonel's 
words  may  be  written  down,  but  his  tone  and  manner  defy  de 
scription.  Again  and  again  at  the  dinner-table  were  the  ears  of 
the  Major,  and  everybody  present  besides,  regaled  with  the  his 
tory  of  the  celebrated  main  of  cocks  fought  by  himself  and 
General  Simpkius,  of  Georgia.  The  match  was  for  $25,000,  and 
a  $1,000  bet  on  each  fight,  fought  between  Georgia  and  South 
Carolina.  "  One  o'  ther  greatest  victories  ever  heard  on,  Major! 
Damn  me  if  I  don't  think  a  million  dollars  changed  hands  on 't !" 
It  is  quite  probable  that  the  Colonel  had  told  this  story  so 
often  that  he  really  believed  it  himself,  like  the  convict  in  the 
Missouri  State's  prison,  who,  during  his  five  years'  incarceration 
in  that  delectable  institution,  had  been  in  the  habit  of  telling  his 
fellow  prisoners  that  he  had  deposited  in  the  State  Bank"  of  Mis 
souri,  $10,000.  Having  regained  his  liberty,  he  immediately 
made  for  St.  Louis,  drew  a  check  for  the  amount,  and  proceeded 
to  the  bank  mentioned,  and  presented  it  to  the  paying-teller, 
without  a  doubt  that  it  would  be  honored;  he  had  become  so 
sure,  from  the  constant  repetition  of  the  story,  that  it  was  true. 
"Jack,  Col.  Bowles  desires  to  take  an  interest  in  our  room. 
He  will  place  Mr.  Smiley  in  it  to  assist,  and  between  them  both 


392  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

they  will  take  one-half  the  game.  The  races  commence  on 
Monday,  and  we  shall  have  a  heavy  play  during  the  week,  and 
may  very  probably  be  compelled  to  open  another  bank;  there 
fore  you  see  it  will  require  more  labor,  and  also  more  capital  to 
carry  on  the  game,  than  we  have  got.  Mr.  Smiley  is  an  agree 
able  gentleman,  and  capable  of  getting  along  smoothly  with  the 
crowd  of  players  we  shall  probably  have  to  entertain." 

These  remarks  were  addressed  to  me  by  the  Major  one  day, 
before  the  hour  at  which  we  generally  opened  our  game,  and 
when  no  one  was  present  but  ourselves.  The  Mr.  Smiley  alluded 
to  was  a  tall,  sickly,  modest-booking  individual,  extremely  reti 
cent  and  unsocial  in  his  manners,  and  seemed  to  care  for  no 
one  on  earth  but  himself.  Though  an  attache  of  Col.  Bowles,  he 
seldom  paid  him,  or  in  fact  any  one  else,  the  customary  recogni 
tion  required  by  courtesy  from  one  acquaintance  to  another. 
The  bond  which  bound  this  worthy  couple  together  was  at  that 
time  a  subject  of  some  speculation  to  me,  but  I  finally  gave  it  up 
as  a  mystery  beyond  my  solution. 

Though  prepared  for  receiving  from  the  Major  at  all  tin:  35  the 
most  whimsical  and  ridiculous  suggestions,  the  present  proposi 
tion  somewhat  startled  me ;  but  without  showing  any  feeling 
upon  the  subject,  I  quietly  asked  him  if  he  had  said  anything 
about  it  to  Mr.  Roberts. 

"No,  sir,'LJje  answered,  with  some  slight  asperity;  '-I've  not 
seen  Mr.  RoDerts  for  more  than  a  week." 

"  Have  you  forgotten,  sir,"  I  continued  in  the  same  quiet  tone, 
"that  he  owns  one-third  of  this  game,  and  that  it  is  under  his 
protection?" 

"I  have  learned,  sir,  that  his  protection  is  powerless,  and  our 
game  would  have  been  broken  up  --long  ago  had  it  not  been  for 
the  influence  of  Col.  Bowles  with  Mr.  Dawsou,  the  City  Marshal. 
He  has  more  weight  with  that  gentleman  than  fifty  Roberts.  No, 
sir,  we  want  no  dead-heacrin  our  game  any  longer.  He's  no 
benefit  to  us,  none  at  all;  so  let's  settle  up  the  game  and  give 
him  his  money.  The  Colonel  will  protect  our  game,  if  it  needs 
ition,  which  is  unlikely,  and  put  up  his  money,  and  don't 
any  one  to  do  his  work  for  him.  He's  the  man  we  want, 
not  Mr.  Roberts." 

"I  can  now  see,"  I  said,  "what  I  was  somewhrat  at  a  loss  to 
determine  before,  why  the  Colonel  has  been  so  very  attentive  to 
you,  Major." 


LEXINGTON  EACES.  393 

"I  suppose,  sir,"  said  the  Major,  reddening  up  considerably, 
"you  know  what  you're  talking  about ?" 

"Perfectly  well,  Major;  and  I  will  also  let  you  know,  if  you 
will  listen  to  me,  in  a  very  few  words." 

"Very  well;  go  on,  sir,"  exclaimed  the  Major,  in  his  most 
dignified  manner. 

"  The  Colonel  saw  that  we  had  built  up  a  valuable  game,  and 
is  now  anxious  to  get  a  share  in  it.  He  was  here  before  we  came, 
had  money  and  a  faro-dealer  at  hand.  Now,  why  didn't  he  open 
a  game  for  himself  ?  Either  he  was  afraid  of  the  interference  of 
the  authorities,  or  that  he  could  not  get  players.  Now,  I  don't 
think,  after  coming  here  under  the  auspices  of  Mr.  Koberts,  and 
entering  into  partnership  with  him,  it  would  be  fair  to  declare 
him  out  of  the  game  just  at  this  moment,  when  it's  well  built  up 
and  likely  to  make  more  money  than  it  has  ever  before ;  and  it's 
more  than  likely  he  won't  stand  any  such  treatment.  I  have  no 
more  interest  in  this  room  than  I  want,  and  I'm  not  going  to  give 
one  cent  of  it  away  to  Colonel  Bowles,  or  anybody  else." 

The  Major  was  not  prepared  for  such  opposition  to  his  pet 
scheme.  Though  his  face  reddened  with  anger,  and  he  moved 
uneasily  in  his  chair,  he  restrained  himself  by  an  effort,  and  pro 
ceeded  to  try  what  effect  a  little  persuasion  would  have  on  me. 
"Why,  my  dear  Jack,  Colonel  Bowles  is  a  man  of  wealth  and 
honor !  He  is  known  far  and  near  as  a  noted  turfman  and  sports 
man.  His  friendship  alone  is  worth  a  fortune  to  any  gambler.  He 
has  the  influence  requisite  to  place  you  in  moneyed  circles,  where 
you  can  make  a  fortune  in  a  year;  such  opportunities,  sir,  a  man 
seldom  meets  with  twice  in  a  lifetime.  Now,  sir,  Mr.  Roberts, 
whom  I  know  well,  cares  for  nobody  but  just  himself;  he  knew 
there  was  a  faro -game  here  and  no  one  to  deal  it ;  we  answered 
his  purpose  as  well  as  any,  so  he  brought  us  here,  as  he  would 
have  done  any  others  whom  he  fo^d  as  capable  of  assisting  him 
to  work  up  a  good  game  as  we^Mfc  has  not  been  near  us  for 
more  than  a  week,  and  he  is  of  no  benefit  to  us  whatever,  that  I 
can  see,  and  I  don't  feel  disposed  to  work  for  such  a  man ;  be 
sides,  sir,  he  has  deceived  us  by  telling  us  he  was  able  to  pro 
tect  us,  when  such  was  not  the  case.  Our  game  would  haveH^Ri 
broken  up  some  days  ago,  had  it  not  been  for  Colonel  Bowles, 
sir!" 

"  I  hope,  Major,"  I  replied,  "  that  you  have  not  so  far  forgotten 


394  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

yourself  as  to  tell  Colonel  Bo\vles  that  Mr.  Roberts  is  interested 
•with  us,  or  that  he  is  protecting  our  game,  after  his  particularly 
requesting  us  not  to  do  so ! " 

;    "I  have  never  so  far  forgotten  myself,  sir,  as  to  commit  an 
ungentlemanly  action,"  replied  the  Major,  in  his  stiffest  manner. 
.  "  I  never  betray  confidence,  sir !    Mr.  Roberts'  secret  is  his  own, 
not  mine  to  give  away." 

"Pardon  me,  Major,  but  when  you  spoke  of  Colonel  Bowles 
having  kept  the  Marshal  from  breaking  up  our  game,  and  said 
that  Mr.  Roberts  was  unable  to  protect  it,  I  feared  that  you  had 
unguardedly  mentioned  to  the  Colonel  the  relations  existing  be 
tween  ourselves  and  Mr.  Roberts." 

"I  have  not,  sir,"  rejoined  the  dignified  Major.  "  Have  never 
mentioned  the  name  of  Mr.  Roberts  in  the  presence  of  Colonel 
Bowles.  The  latter  gentleman  casually  mentioned  to  me,  some 
days  ago,  that  Dawson,  the  Marshal,  had  spoken  to  him  about 
our  rooms,  and  said  it  was  his  duty  to  close  up  our  game,  and 
was  only  prevented  from  doing  so  by  the  representations  of  the 
Colonel,  who  exerted  all  his  influence,  and  finally  wrung  fromhim 
his  consent  to  allow  us  to  go  on  until  the  termination  of  the 
races,  providing  no  complaints  were  made  against  us  by  any  of 
the  citizens.  Now,  Jack,  my  boy,"  he  continued,  "you  see  just 
how  matters  stand.  Because  you  dislike  Colonel  Bowles,  you 
shouldn't  stand  in  your  own  light ;  he's  a  kind-hearted  man,  and 
has  on  several  occasions  spoken  very  kindly  of  you ;  he  says  you 
certainly  have  talents,  and  all  you  want  is  good  pilotage.  Don't 
treat  his  advances  cavalierly !  he  is  powerful,  can  make  and  un 
make,  and  the  friendship  of  such  men  is  not  so  easily  gained, 
that  one  may  cast  it  aside  at  will  for  a  mere  boyish  prejudice. 
Another  opportunity  like  the  present  may  never  again  occur, 
sir,  and  I  beg  of  you,  Jack,  flpn't  throw  it  away  if  you  have  the 
slightest  respect  for  the  omflk  or  good  wishes  of  Major  George 
fenks." 

"Major,  I  don't  like  Colonel  Bowles,  that's  true;  but  I  have 
seen  such  men  as  he  is  before,  and,  with  all  due  deference,  allow 

*to  say  that  I  believe  you  are  his  dupe,  just  as  you  were  that 
Impson  and  McGovern.    Men  don't  show  such  violent  friend 
ship  for  one  another  on  short  acquaintance,  unless  they  have  got 
some  purpose  of  their  own  to  serve  in  doing  so.     I  certainly  think 
Colonel  Bowles  has  got  a  large  bundle  of  private  and  particular 


LEXINGTON  KACES.  395 

axes  to  grind  for  himself  in  all  the  suggestions  he  is  making  for 
your  and  my  government,  and  that  of  our  game.  How  do  you 
know  whether  he  is  telling  you  the  truth,  when  he  says  Dawson 
wanted  to  break  up  our  bank  ?  You  have  nothing  but  his  word 
for  it.  I  don't  believe  Mr.  Roberts  would  leave  his  money  in  this 
bank  if  there  existed  the  remotest  danger  of  it's  being  raided ; 
he's  too  sensible  a  man  for  that.  Didn't  he  warn  us  to  believe 
no  stories  we  might  hear,  but  to  rely  on  his  protection  ?  As  far 
as  Colonel  Bowies'  wealth  and  influence  are  concerned,  I  don't 
believe  it  will  ever  benefit  us  in  the  smallest  degree,  and  on  one 
thing  I  am  determined,  and  that  is  that  he  is  not  going  to  inter 
fere  with  me  or  my  business.  I  am  ribw  going  to  Mr.  Roberts' 
house,  and  to  see  if  I  can  find  him,  and  if,  when  he  understands 
the  nature  of  your  proposition,  he  is  willing  to  accept  it,  I  shall 
draw  out  of  the  game,  and  you  and  I,  Major,  must  part  com 
pany." 

With  flushed  cheeks  and  angry  brow  the  Major  rose  from  his 
chair,  and  said,  in  a  cold,  calm  voice,  accompanied  by  one  of  his 
most  polished  bows,  "Let  the  matter  rest  where  it  is,  sir!  I  shall 
explain  your  objections  to  Col.  Bowles,  and  that  will  be  quite 
sufficient,  sir !  He  imagined,  when  he  offered  to  take  an  interest 
in  onr  business,  that  he  was  doing  us  a  favor  by  lending  us  his 
countenance  and  protection,  and  I  can  assure  you,  sir,  I  thought 
the  same  myself;  but,  sir,  as  your  wisdom  chooses  to  see  the 
matter  in  quite  a  different  light,  I  beg  that  you  will  forget  that 
we  ever  had  the  subject  under  discussion."  Having  closed  his 
speech  with  the  greatest  politeness  and  dignity,  he  threw  his 
cane  under  his  arm,  as  was  his  custom  when  irritated,  and,  with 
the  stride  of  a  Roman  senator,  left  the  room. 

Immediately  he  left  the  place  I  started  for  the  residence  of 
Mr.  Roberts,  with  the  purpose  of^raruing  from  him  exactly  how 
far  we  might  rely  on  his  protectil^Mid  to  inform  him  of  the  re 
ported  threats  made  by  the  City  Wrshal,  but  under  no  circum 
stances  did  I  mean  to  let  him  know  of  the  proposition  for  so  un 
ceremoniously  turning  him  out  of  the  business — a  regard  for  my 
old  friend,  as  well  as  policy,  forbidding  me  from  broaching  the 
subject.  On  reaching  the  house  I  was  informed  by  the  servant 
who  answered  my  ring  that  Mr.  Roberts  was  in  Cincinnati ;  had 
been  gone  already  five  days,  and  was  not  expected  back  before 
the  next  Saturday  night.  It  was  now  Thursday,  and  the  races 


396  -WAlO>EKrNGS  OF  A  VAGAB02?D. 

would  commence  on  the  following  Monday.  The  absence  of  Mr. 
Roberts,  the  strange  indifference  he  had  shown  of  late  regarding 
our  business,  the  fact  of  his  leaving  the  city  without  even  coining 
to  apprize  us  of  his  intention,  together  with  the  present  aspect 
of  affairs,  all  conspired  to  arouse  within  my  bosom  for  the  first 
time  angry  feelings  towards  the  absent  gentleman.  Had  it  not 
been  for  the  little  misunderstanding  between  the  Major  and  my 
self,  and  the  information  which  he  had  obtained  from  Col. 
Bowles  about  Mr.  Dawson,  the  City  Marshal's  wish  to  wipe  out 
our  bank  from  the  soil  of  old  "Kentuck,"  I  dare  say  I  should 
never  have  thought  of  anything  of  the  kind ;  but  as  it  was,  my 
mind  became  the  prey  of -anxious  thoughts,  and  I  felt  a  strong 
presentiment  of  coming  evil,  which,  however  it  might  then  lack 
reason,  proved  not  to  be  groundless  in  the  future,  as  events  will 
show. 

On  the  morning  following  our  conversation  just  related,  while 
the  Major  and  myself  were  at  breakfast  in  our  hotel,  Col.  Bowles 
approached  the  former  with  an  air  of  the  greatest  mystery,  and 
whispered  in  his  ear,  "  Sorry  to  disturb  you,  Major,  but  the  fact 
is,  I've  heern  sunthin'  I  thought  you  oughter  know."  In  order 
to  give  his  words  their  full  effect,  he  seated  himself  on  a  chair 
next  to  the  Major,  and  having  comfortably  arranged  himself,  he 
put  up  his  hand  to  the  side  of  his  mouth  and  said,  in  a  low,  mys 
terious  voice  behind  it,  "There's  sunthin  dark  out,  sure! 
sunthin  rotten ! "  and  as  he  spoke,  he  divided  his  attention  be 
tween  myself  and  the  Major,  looking  first  towards  one,  and  then 
towards  the  other.  It  was  the  very  first  time  he  had  ever 
deigned  to  notice  me,  although  I  had  been  thrown  frequently 
into  his  company,  both  in  our  hotel  and  in  the  gambling-room, 
but  he  had  always  studiously  ignored  my  presence.  I  believed 
him  to  be  a  vain,  arrogant,  jmd  selfish  man,  and,  withal,  a  lying 
blatherskite,  and  these  cai^Vhad  induced  a  strong  dislike  in 
my  mind  towards  the  maUFhich  was  not,  to  say  the  least,  in 
any  respect  lessened  by  the  indifference  with  which  he  always 
treated  me,  for  it  is  the  nature  of  youth  to  sooner  forgive  a  se 
rious  injury  than  a  slight. 

"Why,  what  do  you  mean,  sir?"  demanded  the  astonished 
Major,  turning  round  in  his  chair  and  gazing  inquiringly  into  the 
pock-marked  face  of  the  Colonel. 

"I  tell  you,  Major,  there  sunthin  rotten,  as  sure  as  my  name's 
Jack  Bowles." 


LEXINGTON  RACES.  397 

"Good  gracious !  What  do  you  mean,  sir  ?" 
"When  we  parted  last  night,  you  know" — the  Major  nodded 
to  intimate  that  he  did  know — "wall,"  continued  Bowles, -"I 
jist  steps  inter  Gilp's  coflee-house,  an'  thar  I  come  across  ole 
Myers,  the  District  Attorney.  He's  a  dirty  ole  rogue,  mind  I 
tell  you  now,  Major,  and  when  Jake  Bowles  tells  you  he  knows  a 
man,  go  your  money  on  it ! " 

"  Yes,  Colonel,  I  understand.  But  what  took  place  ?"  inquired 
the  Major,  becoming  alarmed. 

"  Wall,  yer  see  me  an'  ole  Myers  we  got  ter  talking  about  ole 
times,  an'  occasionally  hoisting  in  some  groceries,  which  kinder 
warmed  up  the  ole  cuss  a  little,  an'  its  then  yer  kin  git  a  little 
truth  outer  them  sly  old  ones.  Wall,  at  last  he  asked  me  about 
you,  and  who  yer  was,  an'  what  yer  wus  a  dewin  on  down  thar 
in  yer  rooms  every  night.  He  went  ter  work  in  a  devilish  quiet 
way  at  fust,  just  as  if  he  didn't  care  a  d — n  fur  what  he  wus  a 
talkin'  about,  but  I  saw  mighty  quick  that  thar  was  suuthin 
behind.  I  tole  him  you  was  a  respectable  gentleman  from  Rich 
mond,  thet  you  was  here  to  'tend  the  races,  and  how  the  boys 
played  poker  of  a  night  in  yer  room.  He  sorter  cut  me  short  off 
here  at  this  p'int,  and  said  that  faro  was  played  there  a  d — n 
sight  oftener  than  poker,  an'  then  he  cums  right  out  an'  shows 
his  hand.  Says  he,  'Look  a  here,  Bowles,' says  he,  'I'm  a  friend 
o'  yourn,  an'  wish  yer  well,  an'  if  yer've  got  anything  to  do  with 
that  there  crib,  git  outer  it,  cos  several  religious  persons  has 
made  complaints  about  it ;  they  say  young  men  go  thar  an'  lose 
thar  money ;  an'  dooty  is  dooty,  yer  see,  Bowles,  an'  I  can't  shirk 
it,  nohow!'" 

"Great  God!"  cried  the  Major,  excitedly  springing  to  his  feet. 
"Let's  pack  up  and  get  away  from  here,  Jack!  I  wouldn't  be 
arrested  here  for  the  damned  infernal  State !" 

"  Pretty  good  State,  too,"  remarked  the  Colonel,  seeming  to 
enjoy  the  Major's  uneasiness  hugely  i 

"Yes  !"  retorted  the  irate  Major,  "so  damned  good,  sir,  that 
they  ought  to  put  a  stone  fence  around  it,  to  prevent  anybody 
from  getting  into  it.  Come  on,  Jack,  let's  pack  up  and  leave ! 
We  can't  be  too  quick  about  it !" 

"  Now  hold  on,  Major!  don't  fly  off  at  the  handle.  When  Jake 
Bowles  is  a  friend  to  a  man,  yer  kin  go  yer  life  on  him !  Let  me 
work  this  here  business.  I  don't  believe  it's  es  bad  as  yer  think, 


398  "WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

by  a  d — n  sight,"  said  the  worthy  Colonel,  with  a  knowing  wink. 
"Ole  Myers,  he's  working  fur  a  palm,  he's  h — 1  on  money,  and 
I  believe  that's  his  game.     I  understand  these  matters,  Major, 
better  7n  you  do,  and  you  jest  let  me  manage  'em.     He  can't  pull 
yer  himself,  the  ole  cuss ;  Dawson  doesrhat  there,  and  he's  miue, 
the  best  friend  I've  got  in  the  world;  and  if  he  has  to  pull  yer, 
he'll  let  me  know  time  enough  to  git  yer  out  of  the  way  safe  and 
sound,  bet  yer  life  on  't.    You  trust  ter  Jake  Bowles,  Major, 
not  bad  stock,  I  tell  yer !  So  you  jist  keep  cool  'till  I  see  yer 
again."    With  which  admonition  the  Colonel  deprived  us  of  his 
fascinating  society.    The  Major  was  in  no  frame  of  mind  to  heed 
advice  to  keep  cool.    On  the  contrary,  he  worked  himself  up  to 
the  boiling  point,  and  fumed,  and  raged,  and  cursed  the  whole 
State  of  Kentucky,  and  everything  which  grew  upon  its  soil. 
Roberts  came  in  for  a  double  share  in  his  denunciations.     "  The 
infernal  scoundrel,  sir,  to  decoy  a  gentleman  among  thieves  and 
then  abandon  him !    I'll  give  the  sleek-tougued  knave  a  piece  of 
my  mujtf  when  we  meet  him  !    Let  me  get  back  to  Virginia  once 
more,  jfcd   if  ever  I  leave  there  again,  may  I  never  get  back 
alive."    I  was  too  wise  to  put  myself  within  the  circle  of  the 
whirlpool  of  his  wrath  by  making  any  suggestion,  even  had  I 
been   capable  of  offering  any,  which  I  was  not.     The  whole 
matter  was,  from  beginning  to  end,  a  muddle  to  me,  and  the  only 
likelihood  of  a  solution  which  I  could  perceive  was  the  presence 
of  Mr.  Roberts.    Much  as  I  distrusted  Col.  Bowles,  and  unscru 
pulous  as  I  believed  him  to  be,  it  never  once  flashed  across  my 
mind  that  he  was  playing  us  a  very  dirty  trick,  and  the  interest 
he  was  showing  in  our  affairs  I  looked  upon  as  a  sort  of  free 
masonry  existing  among  gamblers,  which  made  it  arbitrary  upon 
them  to  protect  each  other  against  all  outside  danger,  regardless 
of  their  petty  slights  or  professional  jealousies.  I  tried  to  appear 
as  calm  and  unconcerned  as  I  could  before  the  Major,  but  the 
flend  Uneasiness  was  tighteftng  his  hold  upon  me.  I  recalled  the 
frequent  jokes  of  some  of  our  players,  who,  while  I  was  dealing 
faro  for  them,  would  say,  "  Old  Dawson  would  make  a  dive  in 
upon  us  when  we  least  expected  it  some  time."    I  also  recollect 
ed  the  stories  I  had  heard  them  relate,  of  gamblers  having  their 
tools  burned  before  the  court-house  door,  and  the  owners  beino- 

'  O 

locked  up  until  their  last  dollar  was  leeched  from  them  by  ras 
cally  officials.    The  iron-barred  doors  and  windows  of  the  Lex- 


LEXINGTON  RACES.  399 

ington  jail,  which  I  have  so  often  viewed  from  the  street  with 
such  supreme  indifference,  now  loomed  darkly  before  my  im 
agination,  like  some  fabulous  monster  ready  and  waiting  to  de 
vour  me. 

Before  the  sounding  of  the  bell  for  dinner,  the  Colonel  again 
met  the  Major,  with  an  exultant  look  upon  his  pock-marked 
countenance.  "I've  fixed  it  all  right,  Major;  kick  right  along! 
As  long  as  Jake  Bowles  is  around  yer  all  right,  bet  yer  life  on 't !" 

"  But  what  security  have  we  ?  Tell  me  that,'1  demanded  the 
excited  Major. 

"Neow,  Major,  when  a  feller  talks  on  ticklish  subjects  with 
yer  big  guns,  he's  got  ter  keep  his  jaw  closed  about  it.  I've 
whipped  my  horse  to  his  full  speed,  ole  boy,  an'  'twouldn't  do  to 
tell  tales  about  it  outer  school.  But  I'll  tell  yer  this  much,  yer 
shan't  fall  inter  nobody's  clutches;  I've  throwed  the  flag  down  on 
that,  bet  yer  life  on  't.  If  ole  Myers  should  make  a  dive  for  ye — 
an'  he's  mean  enough  to  do  anything — I'll  know  it  in  time 
ter  get  yer  outer  the  way.  Trust  Jake  Bowles  fur  that,"  said 
that  gentleman,  tipping  the  Major  one  of  his  most  knowing  winks. 
The  latter  thanked  the  Colonel  for  the  deep  and  active  TOterest 
he  had  taken  in  his  affairs,  but  positively  refused  to  approach 
near  the  faro-room  while  his  liberty  was  menaced,  as  he  styled 
it.  I  told  him  that  if  we  ever  expected  to  open  our  game  again, 
it  should  be  done  now,  for  if  we  closed,  our  patrons  would  be 
taken  with  a  scare,  and  we  should  lose  them.  I  told  him  I  should 
go  right  away  and  attend  to  business  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 
He  answered  me,  "Do  as  you  please,  sir,  but  I  shall  not  go  near 
the  room."  Up  to  this  period  our  bank  had  been  about  $3,000 
winner.  I  went  over  to  our  room,  where  I  found  a  crowd  of  play 
ers  awaiting  my  coming  and  the  opening  of  the  game,  and  when 
I  had  done  so  a  very  lively  play  ensued.  During  the  afternoon 
several  strange  faces  were  seen  at  the  table,  and  more  money 
shown  than  at  any  time  during  our  stay  in  the  place  before.  I 
closed  my  bank  about  supper  time,  some  $2,200  winner.  We 
were  in  luck. 

Not  finding  the  Major  outside  the  hotel,  nor  yet  in  the  office, 
when  I  went  over,  I  went  up  to  his  sleeping-room,  where  I  fpund 
him  with  his  trunk  all  packed.  "  I  have  paid  our  bill,  sir,"  was 
the  first  greeting  I  received,  "  and  you  had  better  attend  to  your 
luggage,  and  let  us  be  prepared  in  case  of  the  worst." 


400  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

"Has  it  come  to  that,  Major  V  I  asked.     "  Must  we  leave?" 

"  I  don't  know  as  yet,  but  it  is  well  to  be  prepared  for  every 
emergency,  sir." 

"If  we  should  be  obliged  to  leave,  how  are  we  to  arrange 
about  our  gambling-room,  sir  ?"  I  inquired. 

"I  have  settled  that  matter,"  he  replied  in  his  most  dignified 
tone,  for  ever  since  our  little  misunderstanding  he  had  shown 
a  decided  coolness  towards  me. 

"  How?"  I  asked  with  some  interest. 

"  I  have  sold  the  room  and  furniture  to  Col.  Bowles  for  $200, 
and  have  given  him  a  receipt  for  that  amount.  Should  we  be 
obliged  to  leave,  he  will  sell  what  furniture,  etc.,  is  there,  and 
remit  the  money  to  me." 

"  But  what  in  such  case  do  you  intend  doing  with  Mr.  Rob 
erts'  share  of  the  bank  money?  To-day  our  game  has  won 
$2,200." 

Without  evincing  the  smallest  surprise  or  pleasure  at  my  news, 
the  Mator  replied,  "  Had  Mr.  Roberts  done  his  duty  by  us,  sir, 
we  shfla  not  now  be  in  this  trouble,  probably.  Should  we 
have  to  fly,  we  can,  on  reaching  a  place  of  safety,  write  to  him, 
sir,  and  you  need  bavt  no  uneasiness,  sir,  about  his  putting  in  an 
appearance  when  we  have  so  much  of  his  money  in  our  hands." 

Fear  had  taken  full  possession  of  the  Major,  and  from  him  I 
caught  the  infection.  I  repaired  to  my  room  and  packed  my 
trunk,  and  soon  after  joined  him  at  the  supper-table.  During 
the  meal  I  made  several  efforts  to  draw  him  into  conversation, 
but  my  attempts  were  met  by  a  dogged  silence  which  I  sought 
in  vain  to  dissipate,  and  only  succeeded  in  making  him  more 
gloomily  indifferent  than  ever  to  all  my  advances. 

The  night,  which  was  one  of  the  last  in  October,  had  barely 
cast  its  sable  mantle  over  the  city  of  Lexington,  when  we  rose 
from  our  seats  at  the  table  and  entered  the  office  of  the  hotel. 
We  were  instantly  confronted  by  Col.  Bowles,  who  was  evidently 
waiting  our  advent  with  some  impatience,  and  who  immediately 
rushed  up  to  us,  and  in  a  low  voice  exclaimed,  "  Git  up  an'  git." 

"Good  God!  explain  yourself,  sir!"  ejaculated  the  Major. 

"Hush!  we  can't  afford  ter  let  ennbody  hear  us;  thar's  no 
time  for  cheek ;  let's  git  outer  this  here  fust.  Is  yer  baggage 
ready  ?" 

"Yes,"  stammered  the  terrified  Major. 

"  Order  it  down;  I'll  be  here  with  the  wagon  in  a  minute.'' 


THE  FLIGHT.  401 

It  took  me  only  a  few  minutes  to  run  across  to  the  gambling- 
room  and  put  the  gambling-tools  in  my  valise.  When  I  had 
again  reached  the  hotel,  I  found  my  trunk  standing  beside  that 
of  the  Major's,  on  the  sidewalk  in  front  of  the  door.  A  power 
ful  pair  of  gray  horses  harnessed  to  a  light  spring  road  wagon 
were  standing  there,  and  our  luggage  was  placed  in  this  convey 
ance  by  order  of  the  Colonel.  Having  bestowed  on  the  negroes  who 
had  performed  this  ceremony  a  few  small  coins,  he  whispered  to 
the  driver,  "  Drive  to  Fall's  Corner  and  wait  for  us  thar."  The 
wagon  having  driven  off,  he  turned  to  the  Major  and  myself  and 
said,  "Let's  get  along;  we've  no  time  to  lose." 


CHAPTER   XXXII. 

THE     FLIGHT. 

We  had  walked  rapidly  for  about  eight  blocks,  when  we  came 
in  sight  of  the  wagon  which  contained  our  baggage,  waiting  for 
us  on  a  street  corner  opposite  a  large  lumber-yard.  The  place 
seemed  deserted  and  almost  in  the  suburbs  of  the  city. 

"Now,"  said  the  Colonel,  halting  before  the  wagon,  "I'll  tell 
you  what's  ther  matter,  an'  I've  got  but  little  time  to  do  it  in, 
either,  cos  I  want  yer  to  git  a  good  start  o'  ther  cusses,  do  yer 
mind  ?  "  The  Major  did  mind,  and  so  in  fact  did  I,  for  we  were 
both  devoured  by  a  voracious  curiosity  to  know  what  had  caused 
this  hasty  exodus  after  the  very  cheering  view  of  the  case 
which  the  worthy  Colonel  had  given  us  but  a  few  hours  previous 
ly.  "A  little  before  dark,"  continued  that  gentleman,  "  I  got  a 
message  from  Dawson  ter  come  an'  see  'im.  I  done  so,  an'  he 
told  me  that  Myers  had  gin  a  warrant  ter  ther  Sheriff  ter  pull 
you.  Now  yer  see,  the  Sheriffs  allers  been  down  on  gamblers, 
an'  ole  Dawson,  he  ain't;  he's  allers  let  up  on  'em  when  he's  had 
a  chance,  and  that's  jist  the  reason  Myers  didn't  give  him  the 
warrant  as  he  oughter  done.  The  Sheriff,  he  wanted  ter  pull 
yer  this  afternoon ;  but  Dawson,  when  he  calls  on  him  to  assist, 
staves  him  off  with  the  excuse  that  if  they  wait  'till  night  ther 
house  'ud  be- full,  an'  they  could  make  a  big  haul.  Pretty  cute 
fur  ole  Dawson,  warn't  it  ?  But  he's  my  friend,  an'  you  know  I 


402  WANDERINGS  OB1  A  VAGABOND. 

tole  yer  if  enny  danger  was  about  he'd  let  me  know.  Well,  him 
and  the  Sheriff's  agreed  ter  pull  yer  all  ter  night  when  yer  game's 
under  full  headway,  an'  they  kin  nab  everybody  in  the  room  an' 
so  have  no  difficulty  in  gittin'  witnesses  agin  yer.  Es  quick  es 
Dawson  gin  me  the  word,  I  jist  sent  fur  Jim  here,  that's  goin'  ter 
drive  yer  down,  an'  tole  him  ter  hitch  up  my  road  team  an'  drive 
yer  ter  Louisville.  So  yer  parceive  when  ther  Sheriff  goes  ter 
make  his  dive  fur  yer,  I'll  have  yer  close  on  ter  Frankfort.  I've 
tole  Smiley  ter  see  that  yer  gamblin'-room's  all  lighted  up,  ter 
make  'em  b'lieve  yer  there  yit.  D'ye  see,  Major  I "  chuckled  the 
Colonel. 

"  What  a  wonderful  escape  we've  had  from  the  clutches  of 
those  villains !  And  how  can  we  ever  be  sufficiently  thankful  to 
you,  sir,  for  the  deep  interest  you  have  taken  in  our  affairs?" 
ejaculated  the  Major,  seizing  the  hand  of  his  benefactor,  and  in 
the  heat  of  his  gratitude  trying  to  wring  it  off. 

" Now  don't  talk  that  way,  Major,  ole  boy;  I  can't  stan  nun  o' 
that ;  what  I've  done  I  did  fur  a  gentleman,  an'  that's  enough ; 
an'  ef  I  didnrt  think  you'd  do  jist  the  same  fur  me  ef  I  was  in  a 
tight  place,  I  wouldn't  a  done  it ;  so  git  inter  the  wagon,  ole 
boss,  cos  I  don't  feel  right  nohow  es  long's  yer  here.  I  tell 
yer  what,  the  Sheriff's  h — 1  when  he  gits  started ;  an'  when  he 
finds  out  ye've  fooled  'im,  he'll  wade  through  fire  an'  brimstone 
but  he'll  capture  ye.  Ef  yer  beat  'im  yer'll  hev  to  outspeed 
'im,  mind  I  tell  yer.  He'll  write  to  Turner,  the  Marshal,  ter  nab 
yer  ef  he  finds  out  yer've  started  fur  Louisville,  and  ef  Turner 
ever  gits  them  gray  eyes  o'  hissan  on  yer,  yer  in  fur  bad  luck, 
sure.  I  don't  want  ter  scare  yer,  ole  boy,  only  ter  caution  yer. 
Now  don't  stop  on  the  road  one  minute  more  'n  yer  kin  help.  I've 
gin  Jim  a  letter  ter  my  friend  Bugsby  when  yer  git  ter  Frank 
fort.  He'll  give  yer  as  good  a  pair  o'  roans  es  ever  yer  cracked 
a  whip  behind.  Push  on  with  'em  till  yer  can  hire  a  fresh  team, 
an'  keep  on  doin'  so  till  yer  get  ter  Louisville.  Try  and  reach 
there  by  to-morrow  night,  an'  when  yer  do,  drive  straight  down 
to  the  Jefferson  ferry  an'  put  the  Ohio  river  between  yerselves 
an'  the  State  o'  Kentucky  's  soon  as  possible." 

We  listened  with  the  most  profound  attention  to  these  admoni 
tions  and  instructions,  and  promised  to  follow  his  advice  to  the 
letter. 

When  we  were  seated  in  the  wagon,  the  Colonel,  turning  to 


THE  PLIGHT.  403 

our  Jehu,  a  big  powerful  negro  as  black  as  Erebus,  who  belong 
ed  to  him,  addressed  him  iu  something  like  the  following  strain : 

"Jim?" 

"Yiss,  sah." 

"Bugsby's  team  '11  be  pretty  well  used  up  by  the  time  you  get 
to  Rogers' ;  try  an'  get  a  fresh  one  from  him,  an'  when  ye  get  to 
Snyder's  give  'im  my  respects  and  tell  'im  to  give  yer  another 
fresh  team ;  do  the  same  to  Hanlan's,  and  that  one  '11  take  yer  to 
Louisville.  When  ye  get  there,  drive  straight  down  to  the  Jef 
ferson  ferry  an'  put  these  gentlemen  and  their  luggage  on  the 
boat.  D'yr  hear  ?  " 

"  Yiss,  massa,  Ise  heah  ! " 

"Well,  do  it,  an'  if  I  hear  of  yer  taking  a  cent  from  either  of 
'em,  I'll  skin  yer  alive ! " 

"Yiss,  massa,"  responded  Jim,  showing  his  ivories  from  earto 
ear. 

"  Very  well  then,  see  yer  dusent.  Put  up  at  Runelson's  stable, 
an'  next  day  at  twelve  start  back,  an'  try  an'  git  back  here  by 
Monday  night,  or  I'll  try  an'  git  inter  yer  meat-house! " 

"Ise  '11  do  it,  massa  Jake." 

"Very  good;  an'  don't  cross  the  river  an'  furget ter cum  back, 
yer  black  scoundrel ! " 

"  De  lor ! "  chuckled  Jim.  "  What's  Ise  gwine  ter  do  widthem 
aberlishus  niggers  ?  Dey  dusen't  suit  Jim,  nohow." 

"Drive  on.  God  bless  yer,  Major  !"  was  the  last  greeting  we 
received  from  our  disinterested  friend.  In  a  few  seconds  he  was 
lost  to  our  sight  in  the  darkness  of  the  night. 

It  was  close  upon  eleven  o'clock  when  we  reached  Frankfort, 
and  scarcely  a  light  was  to  be  seen  glimmering  in  the  stony 
place,  and  we  slipped  into  it  so  quietly  that  even  the  barking 
curs,  which  abound  in  Kentucky's  darling  seat  of  legislation,  fail 
ed  to  announce  our  arrival.  We  drove  up  in  front  of  a  broad, 
low  stone  building,  where  Jim  pulled  up  his  panting  team  and 
informed  us  that  this  was  massa  Bugsby's  livery  stable.  Jim 
having  done  some  tall  pounding  with  a  rock  on  the  stable  door, 
it  was  opened  from  the  inside  by  a  venerable  individual  of  the 
African  persuasion,  who  held  in  his  hand  a  lantern,  and  whose 
temper  appeared  to  be  slightly  ruffled,  possibly  by  being  so  un 
ceremoniously  roused  from  his  slumbers. 

"Whar's  yer  massa,  nigger?"  inquired  Jim. 


404  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND.  J 

"What  massa  is  yer  talk  about?" 

"  Massa  Bugs  by,  nigger;  ye  knows  dat." 

"  In  he  bed ;  whar  yer  s'pose  he  am  at  dis  time  o'  night  ?  "  re 
sponded  the  indignant  individual  addressed. 

"Den  you  go  fotch  'im  dis  yer  letter,  kase  he's  wanted  here 
right  away,"  said  Jim,  holding  out  the  Colonel's  letter  to  the  old 
man. 

He  took  the  missive  in  his  hand,  held  it  up  to  the  light  of  the 
lantern,  and  gazed  at  the  direction  for  some  moments,  to  the  im 
mense  disgust  of  Jim,  who  roared  out  at  him,  "Come,  don't  stan' 
dar  peerin'  at  dat  letter  dat  ar  way,  tryin'  to  make  folks  b'leive 
ye  kin  read ;  go  right  off  wid  it  to  massa  Bugsby,  case  how  we's 
in  a  hurry." 

"De  Lor,  nigger!  how  de  words  dus  cum  outer  you!  Pears 
like  dey  was  peas  rattlin'  onto  a  dry  hide." 

"Well,  dat  '11  do  now,  nigger;  take  yerself  off  an'  gib  dat  let 
ter  ter  massa  Bugsby." 

"  Phew !  "  whistled  the  frosty-headed  old  African,  contempt 
uously,  raising  up  his  lantern  and  looking  scornfully  from  behind 
it  at  Jim.  "De  more  I  libs,  de  more  fools  I  sees  ebery  day!" 
with  which  parting  shot  the  old  fellow  moved  off,  chuckling,  sat 
isfied  at  his  own  wit. 

Nearly  half  an  hour  had  elapsed  when  the  gentleman  bearing 
the  name  of  Bugsby  came  to  the  front  with  a  lantern  in  his 
hand,  while  the  old  negro  brought  up  the  rear,  also  bearing  a 
lantern. 

"  Good  evening,  gentlemen,"  was  the  salutation  of  Mr.  Bugsby. 

"It's  nearer  morning,  now,  is  it  not,  sir?"  responded  the 
Major. 

Mr.  Bugsby  hauled  out  a  big  silver  watch,  which  he  consulted 
by  the  light  of  his  lantern,  remarking,  "It's  going  on  twelve; 
hadn't  you  better  tie  up  for  the  night  ?  It's  precious  dark,  an' 
you'll  find  it  very  stony  on  t'other  side  o'  the  river." 

"Mustn't  do  dat,  nohow,  massa  Bugsby,  kase  de  Kurnel  he 
sais  we  must  git  de  roan  team  and  push  rite  along." 

"Well  then,  I've  nothing  more  to  say;  if  that's  the  Colonel's 
orders  he  must  be  obeyed;  so,  Jim.  go  and  help  Robert  throw  the 
harness  over  the  roans." 

While  the  negroes  were  harnessing,  the  Major  and  myself 
were  stretching  our  legs  on  the  ground  near  the  wagon.  Mr. 


THE  FLIGHT.  405 

Bugsby  approached  as  near  as  politeness  permitted,  and,  by 
way  of  apology  for  doing  so,  inquired,  "  What's  going  on  in  Lex 
ington,  gentlemen  ?  "  At  the  same  moment  he  held  up  his  lan 
tern  in  such  a  position  as  to  throw  a  strong  light  on  the  face  of 
the  Major,  who  stood  nearest  him ;  but  that  gentleman,  probab 
ly  not  feeling  disposed  to  gratify  his  curiosity,  quickly  turned 
his  back  to  the  light.  Nothing  daunted  by  this  rebuff,  he 
turned  his  attention  to  me,  and  flashed  into  my  face  the  strong 
light  from  the  opened  side  of  his  lantern ;  at  the  same  time  he 
inquired,  "Many  people  gathering  in  to  see  the  races  there 
above  ? " 

"A  great  many,  I  believe,"  I  rejoined,  without  in  the  least 
changing  my  position,  or  moving  a  muscle  in  any  respect. 
When  he  lowered  his  lantern,  after  a  lengthened  inspection  of 
my  physiognomy,  I  coolly  asked  him  "ho\f  he  liked  it?" 

"Like  what?"  demanded  Mr.  Bugsby. 

"My  face." 

"Well,  youngster,  I've  seen  a  d — n  sight  meaner  ones." 

"As  you  have  taken  such  pains  to  examine  it,  I  am  glad  it 
pleases  you,"  I  replied. 

"I  wanted  to  see,  youngster,  who  the  devil  Jake  Bowles  was 
killing  all  the  horses  in  the  country  for.  He's  not  in  the  habit 
of  wasting  his  powder  on  poor  game." 

After  a  short  delay  in  crossing  the  river,  we  were  again  push 
ing  forward  as  rapidly  as  the -stony  road  and  the  darkness  of 
the  night  would  permit.  Bugsby's  remarks  to  me  had  aroused 
the  Major's  fears,  or  his  curiosity,  I  am  unable  to  say  which, 
for  he  abstained  from  all  communication  with  me,  but  finally 
asked  Jim  if  his  master  and  Mr.  Bugsby  were  very  intimate. 

"I  spects  dey  am,  sah!"  returned  Jim;  "dey  buys  bosses, 
swaps  bosses,  and  trades  in  niggers,  when  de  Kurnel  es  about 
heah,  sah." 

"Mr.  Bugsby  was  grossly  impertinent  when  haheld  his  lan 
tern  up  in  a  gentleman's  face,"  remarked  the  Major. 

"Haw!  haw!  haw!"  laughed  Jim,  "I  spects  how  massa 
Bugsby  tinks  yuse  killed  somebody,  an'  es  streakin'  it." 

"And  if  he  were  certain  such  was  the  case,  he  would  have 
given  us  up  to  the  authorities,  in  order  to  get  the  reward  eh, 
Jim  ?  "  asked  the  Major. 

"Good  lor!  Massa  Bugsby  no  do  dat,  sah  !  Dat  won't  do 


406  "WANDERINGS  OP  A  VAGABOND. 

'tall,  kase  all  de  white  gemmeu  goes  to  massa  Bugsby  when  dey 
gits  in  ^rouble.    He  make  heap  o'  money  dat  way. ' 

"I  suppose  you  mean,  Jim,  that  when  the  white  gentlemen 
get  in  difficulty  with  the  law,  that  Mr.  Bugsby  furnishes  them 
with  horses  to  get  away." 

"Dat's  massa  Bugsby,  clean  out,  sah." 

At  about  daylight  we  reached  Rogers'  tavern,  where  we  got 
some  breakfast  and  a  fresh  team,  and  then  we  again  pursued 
our  flight,  and  after  making  two  more  changes  and  resting  a 
couple  of  hours  on  the  road,  we  reached  Louisville  in  safety. 
We  drove  directly  to  the  Jefferson  ferry,  where  Jim  deposited 
on  the  boat  our  trunks  and  valises,  contrary  to  the  wishes  of 
the  Major,  who  desired  him  to  drive  us  to  a  hotel  in  Jefferson- 
ville;  but  to  all  his  entreaties,  Jim  answered  in  the  same  words, 
"  It's  agin  de  Kurnel's  orders,  massa  Major,  an'  if  I  goes  agin 
dem  ar,  he  won't  trust  me  no  more."  But  contrary  to  those 
other  orders  which  he  had  received,  the  black  rascal  was  noth 
ing  loth  to  take  the  golden  eagle  offered  him  by  the  Major.  We 
caused  our  luggage  to  be  taken  to  the  best  hotel  in  the  place, 
where  we  found  comfortable  quarters.  When  we  had  finished 
supper,  I  wrote  and  posted  to  Mr.  Roberts  a  letter,  informing  him 
of  our  hurried  flight,  our  present  place  of  residence,  and  our  anx 
iety  that  he  should  join  us  immediately,  in  order  that  we  might 
settle  up  our  business  and  depart. 

A  single  day  in  the  quiet  town  of  Jeffersonville  was  sufficient 
to  give  one  the  blues,  even  had  not  a  large  commercial  city  like 
Louisville  been  standing  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river,  to 
lure  me  to  the  enjoyment  of  its  fascinations  and  luxuries.  Be 
sides  this,  the  sullen  and  disagreeable  temper  in  which  the 
Major  had  been  since  the  day  before  our  flight,  rendered  his 
exclusive  society  anything  but  enjoyable.  My  refusal  to  admit 
his  friend  Col.  Bowles  to  a  share  in  our  game,  still  rankled  in 
his  breast.  He  openly  accused  me  of  being  the  sole  cause  of 
our  late  discomfiture.  If  I  tried  to  defend  myself,  he  persisted 
with  peevishness  and  obstinacy  in  his  opinion,  declared  he  had 
never  known  trouble  till  he  met  me,  and  wound  up  by  inform 
ing  me,  with  much  dignity,  that,  as  soon  as  our  affairs  could  be 
adjusted,  a  dissolution  of  partnership  must  take  place.  I  left 
him  to  his  own  gloomy  thoughts,  and  crossed  over  to  Louisville 
without  saying  anything  to  him  about  my  intention.  My  Lez- 


THE  PLIGHT.  407 

ington  scare  had  worn  off,  and  I  soon  found  myself  traversing 
the  streets  of  the  city,  with  no  fear  of  Marshal  Turner  before 
my  eyes,  nor  in  fact  of  any  one  else.  %This  being  my  first  visit 
to  the  place,  I  inquired  rny  way  to  the  Gait  House,  in  hopes  of 
meeting  some  person  with  whom  I  had  been  previously  ac 
quainted,  but  was  doomed  to  disappointment.  I  staid  there, 
nevertheless,  till  dinner-time,  and  entering  the  dining-room, 
took  a  seat  at  the  table.  Shortly  after  I  had  done  so,  a  young 
man  came  and  took  the  vacant  place  at  my  side,  and  addressed 
me  with  "You  here,  Morris?  When  did  you  leave  Lexington?" 

I  recognized  him  at  once  as  being  a  young  man  who  was  stop 
ping  at  the  same  hotel  with  the  Major  and  myself  in  Lexington, 
and  who  had  frequently  been  in  our  gambling-room,  where  he 
had  sometimes  played  against  the  bank.  He  had,  while  there, 
introduced  himself  to  me  as  James  Howard,  from  Georgia ;  said 
he  had  been  following  the  sporting  business  for  more  than  four 
years,  and  soon  convinced  me  that  he  was  well  posted  up  in  al 
most  every  subject  in  any  degree  appertaining  to  sporting. 

"I  arrived  here  last  night,  Mr.  Howard,"  I  replied;  "have 
you  been  here  long  ?  " 

"I  got  here  last  Tuesday,"  he  rejoined,  "but  I'm  going  up  to 
Lexington  in  the  morning." 

When  I  informed  him  that  it  was  my  intention  not  to  return 
to  Lexington,  and  that  the  Major  had  accompanied  me  to  Jef- 
fersouville,  he  showed  an  unusual  degree  of  surprise,  and  had 
very  little  trouble  in  extracting  from  me  the  particulars  of  my 
flight  from  Lexington,  and  its  cause. 

"And  so  Jake  Bowles  has  caught  another  brace  of  fools!"  he 
exclaimed,  as  soon  as  I  had  informed  him  of  that  gentleman's 
connection  with  our  flight. 

"What  do  you  mean,  Mr.  Howard,  by  a  brace  of  fools?"  I 
asked,  feeling  by  no  means  complimented  by  either  his  words  or 
manner. 

"That  he's  worked  a  job  on  you,  and  run  you  off,  that's  all," 
replied  Mr.  Howard. 

It  was  the  very  first  time  my  stupid  brain  had  ever  been 
made  acquainted  with  such  an  idea.  I  felt  so  confused  by  the 
rush  of  thoughts  which  thronged  through  my  mind  at  this  sug 
gestion,  that  I  could  only  inquire  stupidly,  "Why,  what  good 
could  that  do  him  ?  " 


408  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

"Why,  Morris,  you  must  be  green,  not  to  see  his  object.  He 
wanted  to  get  the  game  himsell'.  He'll  ring  in  Smiley  upou  that 
party,  and  he'll  make  $1<5,UOU  by  the  operation.  He'll  skiu  them 
fellers  like  eels." 

"  Can  he  cheat  at  faro?"  I  asked. 

"Cheat!  Cheat  is  no  name  for  it!  Why,  he's  double  chain- 
lightning  at  it ;  he's  cleaned  out  all  the  gamblers  in  Georgia 
and  South  Carolina,  and  you  could  uo  sooner  get  one  of  them 
into  a  room  where  he  was  dealing  faro,  than  you  could  get  them 
into  a  pest-house." 

"  I  wonder  Col.  Bowles  tolerates  such  a  person,  much  less  em 
ploys  him,"  I  returned,  by  way  of  extracting  some  more  explicit 
information. 

"  Jake  Bowles  don't  want  nor  won't  have  any  other  kind;  he's 
the  biggest  beat  in  the  South,  and  never  was  known  to  risk  his 
money  on  the  square.  He  thinks  of  nothing  else  but  putting  up 
jobs  to  rob  somebody,  either  at  cards  or  horses." 

"  Then  do  I  understand  you  to  infer  that  the  authorities  would 
not  have  interfered  with  us  I" 

"They  have  never  yet  done  so  with  any  one  during  race 
times." 

"  And  you  think  Col.  Bowles  fooled  us,  when  he  induced  us  to 
leave  the  place  f " 

"  Why,  it's  dollars  to  bits  he's  done  it." 

I  now  firmly  believed  for  the  first  time  that  we  were  his  dupes. 
A  thousand  small  circumstances,  at  the  time  unnoticed,  now  pre 
sented  themselves  to  my  mind,  and  forged  such  a  complete  chain 
of  evidence,  that  I  knew  perfectly  well  that  it  was  quite  true.  I, 
however,  said  nothing  more  at  that  time  to  Mr.  Howard,  in 
whose  company  I  visited  two  or  three  gambling-houses,  and 
Would  have  remained  all  night  in  Louisville,  had  I  not  feared  my 
absence  would  cause  the  Major  some  uneasiness.  At  about  nine 
o'clock  I  reached  our  hotel,  and  found  him  irascibly  pacing  up 
and  down  the  piazza  in  no  amiable  frame  of  mind.  When  I  made 
my  appearance  before  him,  he  stopped  in  his  promenade,  and 
scanning  me  from  head  to  foot  with  a  flashing  eye,  inquired 
severely,  "Where  have  you  been,  sir?"  • 

"  I've  been  over  in  Louisville,  Major." 

"  Then  it's  a  d — n  pity  they  didn't  put  you  in  prison,  and  keep 
you  there,  sir !"  thundered  the  Major.  "  Haven't  we  had  trouble 
enough,  sir,  without  your  seeking  to  bring  more  upon  us  ?" 


THE  FLIGHT.  409 

I  had  decided  not  to  tell  him  anything  of  what  I  had  learned 
from  Howard  concerning  Bowles,  but  to  await  the  coming  of  Mr. 
Roberts,  whose  arrival  I  expected  on  the  following  evening.  I 
felt  assured  that  if  the  Colonel  had  been  playing  his  disgraceful 
pranks  upon  us,  he  was  the  man  who  would  be  sure  to  find  it  out, 
and  I  knew  that  from  his  lips  alone  would  the  Major  credit  the 
assertion  that  we  had  fallen  victims  to  his  dishonest  artifices. 
Therefore,  without  bandying  further  words  with  him,  I  retired  to 
my  bed,  leaving  him  to  continue  his  walk  up  and  down  the  pi^ 
azza,  and,  like  "Tain  O'Shauter's  wife,"  "nursing  his  wrath  to 
keep  it  warm." 

The  next  morning  he  made  a  point  of  insisting  that  I  should 
on  no  pretense  whatever  absent  myself  from  him  until  after  the 
arrival  of  Mr.  Roberts.  He  added  that  my  absence  the  day  before 
had  caused  him  great  uneasiness,  and  that  he  was  satisfied 
that  the  officers  of  Louisville,  before  this,  had  accurate  informa 
tion  of  our  whereabouts,  and  description  of  our  persons,  and 
were  only  waiting  for  a  suitable  opportunity  to  arrest  us.  To 
allay  his  fears  and  satisfy  him,  I  promised  faithfully  to  remain 
with  him  throughout  the  day,  and,  moreover,  kept  the  promise. 

As  we,,  expected,  Mr.  Roberts  arrived  in  the  evening,  having 
received  my  letter  on  Sunday  evening  and  left  Lexington  on  the 
following  morning.  He  said  he  had  been  detained  in  Cincinnati, 
on  account  of  some  business  difficulties,  considerably  longer  than 
he  at  first  expected;  but  having  left  us  in  a  flourishing  condition, 
and  having  no  fear  of  our  being  in  any  way  molested  by  the  au 
thorities,  he  had  no  cause  to  feel  any  uneasiness  on  our  account; 
"  I  reached  Lexington,"  he  said, "  about  four  o'clock  on  Saturday 
evening,  and  heard  that  Jack  had  been  at  my  house,  inquiring 
for  me.  I  walked  directly  down  to  your  gambling-room,  where  I 
found  a  game  going  forward,  dealt  by  Mr.  Smiley,  a  friend  of 
Col.  Bowles.  To  all  my  inquiries  respecting  you,  he  could  give 
but  one  answer,  which  was  that  you  had  'pulled  up  stakes  and 
gone,'  as  he  expressed  it.  I  then  went  to  the  hotel,  where  I  was 
informed  that  you  had  left  the  house  suddenly  the  evening  be 
fore,  in  company  with  Col.  Bowles,  to  whom  I  was  referred  for 
further  information.  In  the  course  of  the  evening  I  found  that 
gentleman,  and  he  answered  my  questions  relative  to  your  sud 
den  change  of  base  in  thiswise:  'My  friend  Major  Jenks  got  the 
"studs  "  on  and  left  town  kitin';  the  damned  old  fool  got  tired 


410  WANDERINGS  OF  A.  VAGABOND. 

cos  he'd  won  too  much  money !  I  tried  hard  ter  get  'im  to  stay 
through  the  races,  but  he  wouldn't,  so  I  bought  his  gambling- 
room,  jist  ter  oblige  'im  more  'n  anything  else.  I  had  ter  put 
Smiley  somewhar,  so  I  thought  I'd  stick  'im  in  thar,  an'  see  if  he 
couldn't  do  somethin'  for  hisself.'  I  asked  him  where  you  had 
gone,  and  he  said  he  believed  you  went  to  Cincinnati,  but 
couldn't  say  for  certain.  I  tried  to  find  out  from  him  what  sort 
of  conveyance  you  left  town  by,  but  he  could  not  tell  me  that 
either.  Your  unaccountable  flight  gave  me  considerable  uneasi 
ness,  not  because  you  had  money  belonging  to  me — on  that  score 
I  was  perfectly  satisfied  everything  was  right — but  your  myste 
rious  and  hurried  departure  was  to  me  inexplicable,  and  I  could 
only  account  for  it  to  myself  on  the  ground  of  some  extraordi 
nary  fear  having  been  brought  to  bear  on  you." 

"On  the  following  evening  I  received  your  letter  informing 
me  that  you  had  ascertained  that  the  authorities  were  going 
to  arrest  you,  and  that  you  were  enabled  to  escape  through  the 
kind  assistance  of  Col.  Bowles.  In  a  moment,  knowing  him 
as  I  did  for  a  scheming  trickster,  I  saw  the  whole,  and  knew  you 
had  been  made  the  victims  of  his  deception.  But  in  order 
to  satisfy  myself  entirely,  and  leave  no  room  for  doubt,  I  called 
upon  the  prosecuting  Attorney,  the  Sheriff,  and  Mr.  Da\vson, 
the  City  Marshal,  who  each  separately  told  me  that  they  had 
never  heard  of  any  complaint  having  been  made  against  you, 
and  that  no  warrant  had  ever  been  issued  for  your  arrest,  nor 
had  any  such  thing  ever  been  in  contemplation.  I  have  every 
confidence  in  the  assertion  of  these  gentlemen.  They  are  among 
my  warmest  friends,  and  I  know  they  would  not  deceive  me. 
I  took  the  stage  next  morning,  and  here  I  am,  and  I  want  you 
both  to  return  with  me  to  Lexington,  to-morrow  morning.  I'll 
show  you  whether  I  can  protect  your  game  there  or  not,  and  I'll 
make  the  town  a  d— n  sight  too  hot  to  hold  Jake  Bowles  out 
side  the  stone-jug." 

Howard  having  already  prepared  me  for  something  of  this 
kind,  I  was  not  so  completely  taken  by  surprise  as  was  the 
Major,  who  was  really  to  be  pitied,  though  he  had  probably  fall 
en  into  this  self-same  trap  for  perhaps  the  sixtieth  time  in  his 
life.  On  short  acquaintance  he  had  never  been  so  completely 
wrapped  up  in  any  one  as  he  had  been  in  Col.  Jacob  Bowles; 
and  now,  to  find  that  all  his  bombastic  tales,  to  which  he  had  Us- 


THE  FLIGHT.  411 

tened  so  delightedly,  and  all  his  flattering  professions  of  friend 
ship,  were  but  the  artifices  of  a  cunning  trickster  to  rob  him ! 
'twas  too  humiliating.  The  revelations  of  the  duplicity  and 
treachery  of  the  man  not  only  amazed  him,  but  seemed  for  a 
time  actually  to  stupefy  him  and  cause  him  to  lose  his  faculty  of 
speech.  But  when  he  recovered  his  powers  of  articulation,  like 
an  impeded  fountain,  which,  in  overcoming  some  obstacle,  has 
gathered  new  force,  the  curses  flowed  from  his  lips  in  an  un 
broken,  resistless  stream.  "  Infernal  thieving  horse-jockies  and 
sharps!  Why  have  I  ever  been  their  dupes?  Must  I  always  be 
their  prey  ?  Horsemen  are  all  thieves,  from  the  highest  to  the 
lowest;  the  infernal  tribe  of  villains!" 

"Come!  come!  come,  Major!  Moderate  your  language ;  recol 
lect  that  I  made  my  debut  on  the  turf  many  years  ago.  Then 
there's  your  esteemed  friend,  Col.  Johnson,  and  many  others. 
Ease  up,  Major,  ease  up." 

"  It's  one  of  nature's  freaks,  sir,  to  sprinkle  a  few  gentlemen 
among  a  thousand  thieves.  But  give  me  your  hand,  Jack,"  he 
cried,  turning  to  me;  "I  owe  you  an  apology,  and  I've  done 
you  a  great  pecuniary  wrong  by  my  folly.  Had  I  taken  your 
advice,  sir,  that  infernal  thief  could  never  have  injured  us;  but 
you'll  punish  him,  won't  you,  Roberts?  You  can  and.  must  do 
it;  I'll  pay  the  expenses,  whatever  they  may- be." 

"No,  sir!  You'll  do  nothing  of  the  sort,"  returned  the  gen 
tleman  addressed ;  "  and  rest  assured  I'll  make  Lexington  a 
pretty  warm  place  for  Mr.  Bowles  when  I  get  back !  But  you're 
both  coming  back  with  me,  aren't  you?"  he  inquired. 

"No,  sir!"  responded  the  irascible  Major.  "I'm  going  back 
to  Virginia,  and  I'll  stay  there,  too;  and  if  I'm  ever  caught  out 
side  of  it  again  I  hope  they'll  stick  me  in  some  jail,  and  keep 
me  there  for  the  balance  of  my  natural  life!" 

"And  you,  Jack?"  he  asked,  turning  towards  me. 

"I'm  going  to  New  Orleans." 

Early  on  the  following  morning  I  crossed  the  river  with  Mr. 
Roberts,  and  saw  him  off  on  the  stage  coach  for  Lexington,  after 
he  had  promised  to  write  me  at  length,  in  the  course  of  a  few 
days.  At  eleven  o'clock  of  the  same  day  I  saw  the  Major  start 
off  on  the  mail  boat  for  Cincinnati,  and  took  a  kind  farewell  of 
my  dear  old  friend,  whom  I  then  saw  for  the  last  time  on  earth, 
although  I  did  not  fail  to  correspond  regularly  with  him,  up  to 


412  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

within  a  few  years  of  his  death,  which  event  took  place  at  Rich 
mond,  in  1856.  He  had  accumulated  a  sufficient  competency, 
the  proceeds  of  his  interest  in  various  faro-banks  in  Richmond 
and  Washington,  to  keep  him  in  comfort  and  respectability 
during  his  last  days. 

Our  pleasant  correspondence  was  broken  in  upon  in  conse 
quence  of  my  restless  disposition,  and  the  wild,  wandering  life 
I  led  during  many  years,  being  often  months  at  a  time  where 
letters  and  post-offices  were,  to  say  the  least,  yet  in  their  ex 
treme  infancy.  Returning  to  San  Francisco  after  vagabond 
izing  a  few  years  in  Tahiti,  Australia,  and  along  the  shores  oi 
Japan  and  China,  I  learned,  to  my  unfeigned  sorrow,  that  the 
soul  of  Major  George  Jenks  had  returned  to  its  Maker,  and 
that  his  mortal  remains  reposed  beneath  the  soil  of  his  beloved 
native  State.  That  soil  may  have  been  the  last  resting-place  ol 
many  wiser  and  more  learned  men,  but  never  that  of  one  who 
dealt  more  honestly  and  chivalrously  by  his  fellows,  or  possessed 
a  warmer  heart.  Peace  to  his  ashes. 

A  few  days  after  the  departure  of  my  friends,  I  received  a 
letter  of  which  the  following  is  an  exact  copy. 

Lexington,  Oct.  26,  183-. 
FRIEND  JACK: 

Dawson  made  a  descent  on  your  old  room  last  night,  and 
seized  the  furniture  and  gambling-tools.  Colonel  Bowles  and 
his  friend  Mr.  Smiley  were  the  only  persons  arrested.  This 
morning,  after  passing  the  night  in  the  station-house,  they  were 
hauled  up  before  the  court,  where  they  gave  bail  for  their 
appearance  before  the  District  Court  in  sums  of  $1,000  each, 
upon  which  bonds  they  were  released. 

Rest  assured  that  I  shall  follow  this  matter  up,  and  Colonel 
Bowles  shall  learn  to  his  sorrow,  before  I'm  done  with  him,  that 
his  little  joke  will  not  turn  out  in  the  end  to  be  either  pleasant 

or  profitable. 

Respectfully  yours, 

ROBERTS. 


THE  MISSISSIPPI.  413 

CHAPTER    XXXIII. 

THE  MISSISSIPPI. 

A  few  days  after  the  events  recorded  in  the  last  chapter,  I 
found  myself  a  passenger  on  board  the  "Mediator,"  gliding 
along  the  picturesque  banks  of  the  lower  Ohio,  onward  bound 
for  New  Orleans.  The  boat  was  crowded  with  passengers — men, 
women,  and  children — the  greater  part  of  whom  were  residents 
of  the  Crescent  City,  and  who  had  been  wandering  in  the  North 
during  the  hot  summer  months,  or  perhaps  the  East  or  West, 
wherever  business  or  pleasure  led,  in  order  to  avoid  the  myriads 
of  mosquitoes  which  a  kind  Providence  bestows  so  bountifully  on 
the  denizens  of  the  sunny  South  during  the  heated  term,  and 
that  thrice -dreaded  scourge,  the  yellow  fever,  about  which 
learned  medical  men  have  wrangled  and  jangled  for  more  than 
two  centuries,  without  being  one  whit  wiser  to-day  on  the  ques 
tion  of  where  the  poison  of  this  terrible  disease  lies,  or  from 
whence  it  is  extracted,  than  was  Pere  Dutertre  when  he  first 
saw  the  fearful  malady  in  the  Antilles,  in  the  summer  of  1635. 

A  few  minutes'  detention  at  that  classic  mud-hole  denomina 
ted  Cairo,  and  I  was  at  length  launched  on  the  broad  bosom  of 
the  great  Father  of  Waters,  as  American  vanity  is  fond  of  styling 
it.  The  yearning  of  years  was  finally  gratified ;  but  what  a  dis 
appointment!  The  majestic  river!  The  mighty  river!  The 
grand  river!  The  father  of  waters!  The  very  first  sight  instant 
ly  destroyed  every  vestige  of  romance  engendered  by  these 
sounding  titles,  and  many  more  of  the  same  sort,  which,  from  my 
earliest  youth  up,  I  had  heard  applied  to  these  turbid  and 
treacherous  waters.  While  steaming  down  its  swift  and  dingy 
current,  not  a  single  beautiful  object  in  all  the  landscape  met 
my  eye.  All  was  dreary  monotony.  The  alluvial  shore  on  one 
side  lined  with  blue,  mud,  while  on  the  opposite  bank  the  scene 
was  varied  by  immense  stretches  of  white  sand,  which  the  winds, 
in  their  sportive  fancy,  raised  in  clouds,  and  whirled  hither  and 
thither  in  circling  eddies.  Then  the  shore  would  be  for  miles 
covered  with  almost  impenetrable  forests  of  ash  and  cottonwood, 


414  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

underlined  with  a  heavy  growth  of -thick  fields  of  matted  cane, 
which  confined  the  vision,  like  the  river,  within  the  banks,  and 
made  the  eye  turn  for  relief  to  the  hlne  vault  of  heaven.  Even 
the  melancholy  sight  of  snagged  steamers,  which  every  now  and 
then  met  our  view,  were  welcome  breaks  to  the  dreary  same 
ness  of  the  voyage,  while  the  appearance  of  an  occasional  wood 
pile  along  the  shore  gave  us  the  assurance  that  we  had  not  en 
tirely  passed  beyond  the  confines  of  civilization,  and  the  hail 
of  a  passing  steamer  gave  more  than  usual  confidence  and  plea 
sure. 

What  indomitable  courage,  what  patience,  what  perseverance 
must  those  pioneers  of  civilization  have  possessed,  who  first 
sailed  down  this  unknown  stream!  How  comparatively  few 
among  the  millions  who  glided  over  the  bosom  of  this  gigantic 
ocean  tributary,  ever  even  heard  the  names  of  Marquette,  La 
Salle,  or  Jollietf  Launched  upon  this  unknown  stream,  in  their 
frail  bark  canoes,  with  nothing  but  vast  swamps,  fields  of  desert 
sand,  matted  cane-brakes,  and  impenetrable  forests  to  greet 
their  vision;  ready  to  fall  a  prey  at  any  moment  to  savage  beasts, 
or,  worse  still,  to  barbarous  and  blood-thirsty  men,  they  yet  did 
not  despair.  Each  moment  the  current  was  carrying  them 
farther  from  friends,  home,  and  all  they  held  most  dear ;  per 
haps  to  ignominious  captivity  or  a  painful  death.  But,  animated 
by  a  noble  resolve,  they  feared  none  of  these  things,  but  pressed 
on  through  discouragements  and  dangers  sufficient  to  appall  the 
stoutest  heart  till  their  end  was  gained. 

The  whole  civilized  world  has  for  generations  showered  prais 
es  on  Columbus  for  the  courage,  patience,  and  perseverance 
with  which  he  pursued  his  westerly  course  over  unknown  seas, 
in  search  of  a  new  world;  nor  would  I  take  a  single  leaf  from  the 
wreath  of  fame  by  which  he  is  immortally  crowned.  He  was  cer 
tainly  well  qualified,  both  by  nature  and  education,  for  his  ardu 
ous  undertaking,  and  had  he  failed,  the  compass  which  steered  him 
onward  would  enable  him  to  retrace  his  steps.  The  sight  of 
birds,  floating  driftwood,  and  the  finding  of  bottom  with  the  lead, 
enabled  him  to  keep  up  the  rapidly  sinking,  spirits  of  his  crew 
and  reanimate  them  with  new  hopes.  Behind  him  were  power 
ful  patrons  who  believed  in  his  success,  and  who  had  furnished 
him  with  ships,  men,  and  means,  and  sent  him  on  his  dubious 
and  uncertain  voyage.  Should  he  be  successful,  as  he  firmly  be- 


THE  MISSISSIPPI.  415 

lieved  he  was  certain,  in  reaching  the  East  Indies  by  a  shorter 
route  than  by  way  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  on  his  return  wealth 
and  honors  were  waiting  to  be  showered  upon  him  with  lavish 
hands. 

Marquette  and  Jolliet  had  no  powerful  government  or  pa 
trons  to  encourage  or  assist  them  in  their  perilous  journey.  Their 
five  Indian  companions  and  two  birch  canoes  were  their  sole  ret 
inue  and  means  of  transportation.  The  Potawattamie  braves 
heard  of  their  project  with  wonder  and  incredulity.  "Those 
distant  nations,"  said  they,  ''never  spare  the  stranger;  their 
mutual  wars  fill  the  borders  with  bands  of  marauding  warriors 
who  never  spare  the  captives  who  fall  into  their  hands ;  the  great 
river  abounds  in  monsters  who  devour  both  men  and  canoes,  and 
the  excessive  heat  occasions  death."  But  to  all  these  things  these 
indomitable  explorers  turned  a  deaf  ear,  and,  animated  by  a  high 
courage  and  noble  resolve,  started  upon  their  dangerous  way. 
When  the  shores  of*  Spain  receded  from  the  view  of  Columbus, 
as  he  started  on  his  voyage  of  discovery,  his  future  was  not  the 
shadow  of  a  shade  darker,  if  as  dark  as  that  of  Marquette  when 
he  launched  his  frail  squadron  on  the  bosom  of  the  Mississippi. 
Columbus  was  surrounded  by  all  the  comforts  enjoyed  by  sailors 
at  that  time,  aud  had  no  more  danger  to  apprehend  than  that 
which  falls  to  the  lot  of  ordinary  mariners ;  his '  ships  were  sea 
worthy,  and  manned  by  picked  sailors  and  warriors  ready  to  en 
force  his  commands  if  necessary.  Marquette  and  his  compan 
ions  knew  as  little  where  they  were  going,  as  did  Columbus  and 
his  comrades.  The  former  knew  by  observation  that  large 
streams  of  water  made  their  way  to  the  sea ;  but  knew  not,  sup 
posing  himself  to  have  overcome  all  obstacles,  and  to  have  reach 
ed  the  mouth,  whether  those  waters  were  received  by  the  At 
lantic  or  Pacific  Ocean,  or  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Christianity,  civ 
ilization,  and  the  glory  of  France,  induced  him  to  tempt  unknown 
dangers,  tropical  heats,  and  intolerable  insects,  savage  beasts 
and  more  savage  men,  in  order  to  solve  this  question.  The  sa 
cred  calumet  of  peace,  hung  around  his  neck  by  the  Illinois 
chieftain,  was  to  him  and  his  comrades  a  better  protection  than 
the  armed  adventurers  who  followed  Columbus.  Marquette, 
Jolliet,  and  afterwards  La  Salle,  discovered  the  mighty  river 
from  its  source  to  its  mouth ;  but  posterity  has  very  nearly  rob 
bed  them  of  their  hard-earned  and  richly  deserved  laurels.  Ex- 


416  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

cept  in  the  pages  of  history,  or  an  occasional  steamer  or  insig 
nificant  village  or  county  which  has  borne  the  names  of  these 
heroic  men,  their  memories  are  almost  entirely  obliterated. 
Neither  the  chisel  of  the  sculptor  nor  the  brush  of  the  painter  has 
transmitted  to  posterity  the  lineaments  of  either.  Even  France, 
who  delights  to  honor  the  memory  of  her  brave  sons,  has  allow 
ed  their  names  to  sink  almost  into  oblivion,  though  she  never 
produced  more  daring  explorers,  or  men  who  have  given  to  her 
more  territory  or  more  widely  extended  her  fame.  But  it  is  a 
general  weakness  with  mankind  to  honor  and  laud  the  bloody 
deeds  of  cut- throat  warriors,  more  than  to  properly  acknowledge 
the  services  of  men  who,  by  their  brains,  perseverance,  and 
courage,  have  opened  up  to  future  civilization  regions  hitherto 
unknown  and  unexplored. 

The  world  only  knows  De  Soto  as  the  discoverer  of  the  Missis 
sippi,  and  as  such  has  sounded  peaus  of  praises  for  his  deeds  and 
delighted  to  honor  his  memory.  Ships,  steamers,  counties,  vil 
lages,  and  even  rum-mills,  have  been  called  after  him,  and  still 
keep  his  memory  green  in  the  hearts  of  the  people,  not  to  men 
tion  that  noble  effort  of  one  of  our  ablest  artists,  which  adorns 
the  rotunda  of  the  Capitol  at  Washington,  representing  his  ar 
rival  on  the  banks  of  the  great  river ;  a  master-piece  which 
none  who  have  once  beheld  can  ever  forget. 

But  the  honor  falls  not  where  it  is  justly  due.  As  a  blind  hog 
stumbles  on  an  acorn,  so  did  De  Soto  discover  the  Mississippi 
River  After  assisting  in  the  robbing  of  the  Peruvians,  he  re 
turned  to  Spam  with  his  blood-stained  gold ;  but  not  satisfied 
with  the  deeds  of  murder  and  rapine  he  had  committed,  nor  with 
the  amount  of  his  ill-gotten  treasures,  he  started  from  Florida 
westward  in  search  of  adventure  with  more  than  a  thousand  un 
principled  cut-throats  in  his  train,  ready  for  any  deeds  of  vio 
lence  and  blood.  The  exploration  of  unknown  regions  for  the 
benefit  of  his  race  was  by  no  means  the  object  of  the  expedition; 
but  gold.  "  The  Spaniard  has  a  disease  of  the  heart,  and  noth 
ing  but  gold  can  cure  it,"  said  Pizarro ;  and  none  knew  his  coun 
trymen  better  than  that  cruel  tyrant. 

But  little  is  known  of  the  particulars  of  the  expedition  of 
De  Soto.  He  was  not  accompanied  by  a  lying  Gomara  to  cover 
up  his  disgraceful  and  bloody  deeds  with  the  flowers  of  rhetoric, 
as  was  Cortez,  but  it  seems  that,  after  rambling  about  for  some 


THE  MISSISSIPPI.  417 

time  in  that  portion  of  the  country  which  now  comprises  the 
States  of  Georgia,  Alabama  and  Mississippi,  brutally  massa- 
creing  the  unoffending  natives,  burning  their  huts,  and  commit 
ting  every  possible  deed  of  violence  and  murder,  he  reached 
the  great  stream  near  the  mouth  of  White  River.  From  thence 
he  rambled  on  to  the  southern  borders  of  the  Missouri,  and 
from  thence  southward  to  the  Red  River.  The  outrages  which 
characterized  the  first  part  of  his  expedition  were  in  no  wise 
abated.  He  wantonly  murdered  and  enslaved  the  natives  who 
crossed  his  path,  and  every  step  of  his  journey  was  marked 
with  blood.  Disease,  together  with  his  frequent  battles  with 
the  natives,  had  now  reduced  his  ranks  to  about  four  hundred 
men.  They  sought  gold,  but  found  graves.  Finally  the  death 
of  De  Soto,  and  his  romantic  burial  by  night,  beneath  the  waters 
of  the  Mississippi,  .has  left  behind  him  a  strong  tincture  of  ro 
mance,  to  cover  the  deeds  of  the  bloody  marauder,  and  has 
impressed  posterity  with  the  belief  that  he  fell  a  martyr  to  the 
cause  of  civilization  and  the  good  of  unborn  generations  of  his 
fellow-men.  But  a  very  different  motive  governed  his  actions: 
sordid  avarice  spurred  him  and  his  followers  on;  the  hope  of 
fiindug  another  Peru  or  Mexico,  abounding  with  gold,  which  they 
might  obtain  by  murdering  the  untutored  natives — a  thing  they 
would  have  done  with  as  little  compunction  as  they  would  have 
crushed  a  noxious  insect  in  their  path,  and  thereby  adding  to 
the  already  bloody  laurels  of  Spain.  If  it  be  true  that  the  fol 
lowers  of  De  Soto  escaped  the  richly  deserved  vengeance  of  the 
natives,  and  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  and  from 
thence  across  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  the  Panuco  River,  it  is  one 
of  the  very  strangest  events  in  history,  that  a  river  of  such 
magnitude,  whose  mouth  must  have  consequently  become  known 
to  the  Spaniards,  should  have  remained  undiscovered  and  un 
known  for  more  than  a  century  afterwards.  The  whole  tale 
seems  as  fabulous  as  the  fountain  of  youth,  or  the  undiscovered 
Eldorado. 

In  the  year  1823,  Captain  Shreve  commanded  the  good  steamer 
"  General  Washington,"  then  the  fastest  boat  that  ever  plowed 
the  western  waters.  In  the  designated  year  he  made  the 
quickest  time  ever  known,  between  New  Orleans  and  Louisville, 
and  on  his  arrival  at  the  latter  port  he  anchored  his  steamer  in 
the  middle  of  the  river  and  fired  twenty-five  guns,  being  one  for 


418  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

each  day  consumed  in  making  his  trip,  then  considered  the  most 
wonderful  voyage  ever  accomplished.  The  entire  population  of 
Louisville  were  gathered  on  the  bank  to  behold  that  wonder  of 
speed,  the  glorious  "General  Washington."  Captain  Shreve 
was  feted,  and  borne  in  triumph  by  the  huzzaing  multitude 
through  the  streets  of  Louisville,  and  in  deep-felt  gratitude  for 
the  honors  showered  on  him,  thanked  his  enthusiastic  admirers 
in  an  eloquent  speech,  while  toasts  were  drank,  and  "red-eye" 
flowed  freely,  and  all  declared  the  -time  made  by  the  "  George 
Washington "  could  never  be  equaled.  But  in  defiance  of 
this  assertion  the  time  was  beaten  before  the  end  of  the  season, 
and  in  1828  the  "Tecumseh  "  made  the  same  trip  in  eight  days 
and  seventeen  hours,  and  in  the  year  1843  the  "Sultana"  made 
the  trip  in  four  days  and  twenty-two  hours.  From  the  time  of  the 
memorable  trip  of  the  "  George  Washington,"  down  to  the  speedy 
voyage  of  the  "  Sultana,"  steamers  have  vied  with  each  other, 
both  in  racing  and  in  making  fast  trips.  As  a  consequence  of 
this  delectable  pastime,  the  souls  of  hundreds  of  persons  were 
hurried  before  the  throne  of  their  Maker,  unprepared  and  un 
called,  by  the  burning  of  steamers,  bursting  of  boilers,  and  run 
ning  upon  snags.  In  this  golden  era  it  was  considered  highly 
dishonorable  for  a  steamboat  captain  to  allow  his  steamer, 
while  under  way,  to  be  passed  by  another  boat  without  giving 
her  a  race ;  and  these  trials  of  speed  but  too  often  resulted  in 
the  scattering  of  their  passengers  in  every  imaginable  direction, 
by  the  blowing  up  of  their  boilers.  Whenever  a  steamer  was 
destroyed,  with  the  majority  of  its  passengers  and  crew,  by  a 
snag,  a  fire,  collision,  or  compressed  steam,  a  body  of  citizens 
under  the  title  of  a  "  committee  "  or  a  "jury  of  inquiry  "  would  be 
appointed  to  make  a  searching  inquiry  into  the  "appalling  ac 
cident,"  as  the  public  press  would  most  probably  denominate  it. 
It  being  for  the  interest  of  steamboat  owners  to  exonerate 
themselves  in  the  eyes  of  the  public  from  the  charge  of  running 
unsafe  steamers  or  employing  incapable  officers,  they  would 
spare  neither  money  nor  trouble  to  have  upon  the  examination 
committee  their  own  creatures,  and  the  verdict  rendered  was  in 
nineteen  cases  out  of  twenty,  the  same  old  tune,  "nobody  to 
blame."  In  the  meantime,  one  or  two  of  the  most  important 
newspapers,  near  the  scene  of  the  disaster,  would  be  squared  to 
inform  the  public  that  it  was  impossible  to  guard  against  such 


THE  MISSISSIPPI,  419 

accidents,  and  that  the  officers  were  all  perfectly  efficient,  and 
had  nobly  performed  their  duty  in  the  hour  of  peril.  Trade  and 
property  were  so  powerful,  that  authority  dare  not  question  the 
incapability  or  recklessness  of  river  men,  and  the  scale  in  which 
reposed  the  safety  of  human  life  kicked  the  beam  when  bal 
anced  against  that  which  contained  money. 

In  those  palmy  days,  steamboat  officers  did  what  seemed 
good  in  their  own  sight,  with  none  to  molest  or  make  them 
afraid.  They  neither  dreaded  courts  of  justice  nor  were  they 
one  whit  restrained  by  fear  of  public  opinion,  from  committing 
the  most  brutal  outrages  on  inoffensive  persons  placed  in  their 
charge.  The  mate  or  engineer  who  could  wield  a  billet  of 
wood  or  a  bar  of  iron  the  most  scientifically  on  the  heads  of 
deck-hands,  firemen,  and  deck-passengers,  was  considered  "  a 
regular  screamer,"  and  received  the  highest  wages.  When 
laborers  were  plenty  on  the  levee  at  New  Orleans,  it  was  common 
for  steamers  to  hire  twenty-five  or  thirty  more  than  the  comple 
ment  required  for  her  crew,  in  order  to  facilitate  the  taking  in 
of  sufficient  pine  wood  to  run  the  seven  or  eight  hundred  miles 
up  the  river,  and  to  discharge  whatever  way-cargo  she  might 
have  between  New  Orleans  and  Vicksburg.  These  men  would 
be  discharged  at  the  different  landings  on  the  river  as  fast  as 
their  services  were  no  longer  required,  having  shipped  with  the 
idea  that  they  would  be  wanted  for  the  round  trip.  They  did 
not,  of  course,  expect  that,  after  a  few  days'  hard  labor,  they 
would  be  discharged  in  a  place  where  it  was  impossible  for 
them  to  get  anything  to  do,  and  where  it  would  cost  them  more 
money  than  they  had  earned  to  take  them  back  to  New  Orleans. 
These  hands  were  sometimes — as  a  punishment  for  incurring  the 
displeasure  of  some  of  the  petty  officers — set  ashore  in  impene 
trable  cane-brakes,  or  on  lonely  islands,  and  any  murmurings  or 
remonstrances  on  their  part  were  instantly  silenced  by  a  blow  on 
the  head  with  a  billet  of  wood,  and  not  unfrequently  the  knife 
and  the  bullet  were  brought  into  requisition.  Nor  were  passen 
gers  exempt  from  these  brutalities.  To  those  of  wealth  and  in 
fluence  the  most  slavish  attention  was  shown,  while  modest  and 
unassuming  strangers  were  neglected  and  treated  with  rudeness 
and  contempt  if  they  dared  demand  their  rights.  The  smallest  < 
infringement  of  the  rules  of  the  boat  has  planted  many  a  one  in  / 
a  solitary  state  on  the  edge  of  a  cane-brake,  with  his  luggage 


420  "WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

beside  him.  Deck  passengers  were  stowed  like  hogs  on  the 
lower  deck  of  the  steamer,  where  they  were  made  to  feel  all  the 
degradation  of  poverty  in  the  brutal  and  disgraceful  treatment 
they  received  from  the  petty  officers  belonging  to  the  boat. 

Maltreated  crews  of  vessels  and  steamers,  and  also  their  pas 
sengers,  had  from  time  to  time  brought  their  wrongs  before  the 
tribunals  of  their  country  and  clamored  for  redress.  But  it  was 
impossible  to  obtain  anything  like  justice,  where  capital  was  the 
defendant ;  and  in  no  cities  were  these  tribunals  more  blunted 
or  deaf  to  the  cries  of  justice,  than  in  St.  Louis,  Louisville,  and 
New  Orleans.  In  these  cities  the  majority  of  the  river  steamers 
were  owned  by  the  wealthy  merchants,  and  the  officers  of  these 
steamers  were  their  servants,  whom  they  protected  at  all  haz 
ards.  However  flagrant  their  crimes,  money  and  talent  were 
ready  to  stand  forth  in  their  defense  and  save  them  from  the 
lash  of  justice,  and  that  justice  was  dispensed  by  a  cultured  class 
who  were  but  too  ready  to  pander  to  the  power  of  the  almighty 
dollar.  What  could  ignorant  crews  or  obscure  passengers  ex 
pect,  whose  only  recommendation  to  justice  was  that  they  had 
been  wronged,  while  opposed  to  them  was  money  and  talent  in 
abundance — where  obsequious  .Judges  and  prosecuting  attor 
neys  were  eager  to  bow  the  knee  before  the  shrine  of  wealth 
and  influence.  But  let  the  accused  be  some  ignorant  boat-hand 
or  some  obscure  passenger  on  trial  for  killing  or  maiming  some 
brutal  officer,  who  had  perhaps  tantalized  him  into  committing 
the  deed  by  his  taunts  and  jeers,  justice  did  not  sleep  then ;  but 
listened  to  the  accusation,  and  condemned  the  guilty  wretch  as 
implacably  as  the  presiding  dignitary  over  the  "Court  of  Death," 
delineated  by  the  masterly  pencil  of  Rembrandt  Peel,  meted  out 
his  award  to  every  culprit  brought  before  him. 

It  is  quite  natural  to  suppose  that  men  respecting  no  law 
save  that  of  brute  force  would  at  times  fall  victims  to  their  own 
dastardly  deeds  of  violence.  Such  was  in  many  instances  the 
case  among  the  steamboat  officers.  Numbers  were  openly 
killed  or  secretly  assassinated  by  those  whom  they  had  maltreat 
ed.  In  the  large  cities  these  murderers  were  punished  by  law, 
when  arrested ;  but  if,  after  the  commission  of  their  deeds  of 
blood,  the  perpetrators  could  gain  the  banks  either  of  the  Mis 
sissippi  or  Ohio  River,  at  any  point  between  the  ports  of  St. 
Louis,  Louisville,  and  New  Orleans,  they  were  safe  from  all  pun- 


THE  MISSISSIPPI.  421 

ishment  by  the  law.  The  people  who  lived  in  the  scattered 
settlements  along  the  banks  of  these  rivers  had  conceived  a 
deep  and  abiding  hatred  towards  the  generality  of  steamboat 
officials,  on  account  of  their  brutal  and  overbearing  conduct. 
The  first  season  that  I  struck  the  Mississippi  River,  twenty-two 
steamboat  officers  fell  by  the  bullet  and  the  knife,  in  consequence 
of  having  violated  the  persons  of  their  murderers.  During  the 
same  summer  and  the  following  winter  eleven  boats  were 
snagged  between  St.  Louis  and  New  Orleans,  and  six  were 
blown  up  by  the  bursting  of  their  boilers,  and  over  five  hundred 
souls  were  hurried  into  the  presence  of  their  Maker.  High  old 
times  were  these  on  the  Mississippi  River. 

The  long  suppressed  murmurings  of  public  opinion  against  the 
shameful  atrocities  perpetrated  by  river  men,  on  the  western 
waters,  became  now  too  formidable  to  be  longer  disregarded. 
Congress  passed  laws  regulating  the  navigation  of  all  inland 
steamers ;  the  duties  of  steamboat  officials  were  clearly  defined ; 
committees  were  appointed  to  examine  into  the  capabilities  of 
pilots  and  engineers,  and  also  to  ascertain  the  sea- worth  in  ess  of 
vessels  carrying  freight  and  passengers ;  inspectors  were  appoint 
ed  to  look  to  boilers  and  machinery.  About  the  same  time  the 
people  of  Louisiana  demanded  of  their  legislators  that  severe  laws 
defining  the  relations  between  steamboat  officers  and  their  crews 
should  be  passed,  and  the  public  voice  compelled  the  courts  to 
enforce  these  laws.  The  former  brutal  treatment  of  steamboat 
hands  was  no  longer  tolerated;  such  amusements  became  too 
costly  to  be  indulged  in  by  their  officers.  The  wages  of  crews 
had  to  be  settled  before  any  other  claims ;  and  until  that  was 
done  the  boat  could  be  held  by  the  Sheriff.  Public  opinion 
frowned  down  steamboat  racing,  and  fewer  boilers  were  burst 
in  consequence.  The  "knock-down  and  drag-out"  officers  of 
the  "screamer"  tribe  were  obliged  to  stand  back  and  give  place 
to  such  as  could  direct  their  men  in  the  performance  of  thei? 
duty,  without  resorting  to  oaths  and  violence.  Steamboat  offi 
cers  were  no  longer  permitted  to  gamble  with  passengers,  or  to 
enter  the  cabin  with  loud  oaths,  or  seat  themselves  at  the  din 
ner-table  in  filthy  garments  or  their  shirt-sleeves.  The  mess- 
room  and  sleeping-rooms  of  the  employes  were  separated  from 
those  of  the  passengers ;  and  only  the  captain  and  his  clerk  and 
first  officer,  with  the  servants  required  there,  were  allowed  en- 


422  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

trance  into  the  cabin.  Humanity  and  courtesy  has  made  mighty 
strides  in  this  section  of  the  country  over  cruelty  and  oppression. 
The  recklessness  and  brutality  which  once  characterized  steam 
boat  officials  has  totally  disappeared  from  our  western  waters ; 
and  to-day  the  traveler  can  nowhere  meet  with  kinder  or  more 
polite  treatment  than  on  board  a  river  steamer,  or  with  more 
civil  and  gentlemanly  men  than  their  officials. 


CHAPTER   XXXIV. 

RIYER    SHARPERS. 

Day  and  night  during  our  voyage  on  the  "Mediator,"  from 
Louisville  to  New  Orleans,  were  the  card- tables  surrounded  by 
the  votaries  of  chance,  and  often  as  many  as  five  or  six  of  these 
tables  could  be  seen  scattered  from  the  ladies'  cabin  to  the  social 
hall  of  the  boat,  with  games  going  forward  at  each. 

The  games  which  were  mostly  played  in  those  days  on  river 
steamers  were  poker,  brag,  whist,  Botson,  and  old  sledge ;  and 
if  banking  games  were  set  up  in  the  social  hall,  they  were  usually 
vingt-et-un,  chuck,  and  sometimes  faro.  According  to  the  rules 
of  these  steamers,  all  gambling  was  prohibited  after  ten  o'clock 
in  the  evening ;  but  in  many  instances  these  rules  were  a  dead 
letter,  and  the  morning  sun  frequently  found  one  or  more  parties 
at  the  card-table  engaged  at  their  favorite  games.  In  these  jolly 
times  the  steamboat  officers  mingled  with  the  passengers  in  the 
cabin  as  equals,  and  it  was  no  uncommon  thing  to  see  uncouth 
pilots,  mates,  and  greasy  engineers  engaged  at  the  card-tables 
with  well-dressed  travelers.  Passengers  were  privileged  to 
amuse  themselves  just  as  they  pleased,  so  long  as  they  did  not 
infringe  upon  the  rights  of  others,  or  interfere  in  any  respect 
with  the  duties  of  the  officers  or  crew.  This  latitude  sometimes 
led  to  some  rather  strong  contrasts ;  for  instance,  there  might 
frequently  be  seen  in  the  ladies'  cabin  a  group  of  the  godlypray- 
ing  and  singing  psalms,  while  in  the  dining-suloon,  from  which 
the  tables  had  been  removed,  another  party  were  dancing  merri 
ly  to  the  music  of  a  fiddle,  while  farther  along,  in  the  social  hall, 
might  be  heard  the  loud  laughter  of  jolly  carousers  around  the 


RIVER  SHARPERS.  423 

driukiug  bar,  and  occasionally  chiming  in  with  the  sound  of  the 
revelry,  the  rattling  of  money  aud  checks,  and  the  sound  of 
voices  at  the  card- tables. 

Previous  to  the  appearance  of  the  card-sharper  and  his  newly 
invented  schemes  for  cheating,  on  the  river  the  card-tables  of  a 
steamer  were  free  to  all  persons  of  gentlemanly  habits  and  man 
ners.  The  gambler  was  not  excluded  from  a  seat  there  on 
account  of  his  superior  skill  at  play ;  or,  at  least,  it  was  an  ex 
ceedingly  rare  thing  for  one  person  to  object  to  another  on  these 
grounds.  Pride  would  not  permit  the  humiliating  confession. 
Neither  would  men  holding  real  or  equivocal  positions  in  society, 
and  who,  by  the  arbitrary  laws  of  that  society,  felt  themselves 
compelled  to  shun  a  professional  gambler  on  the  street,  think 
their  reputation  compromised  by  meeting  him  as  an  equal  on 
board  a  steamer  at  the  card-tables. 

The  votaries  of  chance  were  not  yet  aroused  to  the  fact  that 
(hey  could  be  insidiously  robbed  at  the  card-table  when  every 
thing  seemed  perfectly  fair  and  above-board,-  but  when  that 
enlightening  took  place,  the  gambler  was  immediately  classed 
with  the  sharper,  because  the  verdant  were  unable  to  under 
stand  where  the  gambler  left  off  and  the  thief  began.  Thimble- 
riggers,  dice-coggers,  trigger-wheel  players,  strop-players,  and 
card-sharpers  of  every  description,  were  classed  as  gamblers. 

These  river  sharpers,  for  their  mutual  advantage,  traveled  in 
small  companies,  but  while  on  board  a  steamer,  feigned  to  be 
total  strangers  to  each  other.  Their  number  was  always 
sufficient  to  make  up  a  card  party  whenever  they  could  induce 
one  or  two  "gulls"  to  "join  them  in  a  small  game,  merely  for 
amusement."  Whenever  one  of  their  number  could  manage  to 
obtain  a  seat  among  a  poker  or  brag  party  that  would  not 
stand  any  rough  nonsense  in  the  way  of  "  stocking,"  or  "hold 
ing  out,"  his  confederates  would  seat  themselves  in  such  a 
position  that  they  could  see  the  cards  held  by  his  adversaries, 
and  "  item"  the  strength  of  their  hands  to  him  by  signs.  This 
was  done  variously,  sometimes  with  the  fingers,  one  held  out 
denoting  a  pair,  two,  two  pairs,  three,  threes,  four  fingers,  fours, 
and  five,  a  flush  or  full  hand.  Hands  were  sometimes  tele 
graphed  by  twirling  the  head  of  a  cane  in  various  directions ; 
and  men  had  systems  of  signs  which  were  perfectly  intelligible, 
consisting  in  peculiar  ways  of  puffing  out  cigar  smoke. 


424  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

The  early  sharpers  depended  oil  fleecing  their  adversaries  at 
poker,  brag,  euchre,  and  all-fours,  aud  similar  games,  while 
engaged  with  them  at  play,  by  "  holding  out"  one  or  more  cards 
on  them.  These  would  be  hidden  in  their  laps  or  behind  the 
neck,  and  sometimes  in  the  joint  of  the  knees,  and  "rung  in" 
whenever  a  favorable  opportunity  occurred  for  doing  so.  These 
methods  of  cheating,  as  well  as  "  iteming"  hands,  are  time- 
honored  institutions  among  the  sharper  tribe,  and  were  probably 
practiced  by  their  European  brethren  a  century  before  the  pad 
dle  of  a  steamboat  made  its  first  revolution  in  the  turbid  waters 
of  the  Mississippi. 

Playing  marked  cards  was  a  specialty  with  a  few  sharpers. 
They  marked  their  own  cards  on  the  backs,  nearly  every  sharper 
having  his  own  secret  cipher  for  doing  so.  While  playing  with 
a  single  adversary,  marked  cards  could  be  used  most  advan 
tageously;  the  more  persons  engaged  with  them  in  a  game  of 
brag  or  poker,  the  more  difficult  was  their  labor  and  the  more 
they  had  to  contend  with.  In  a  card  party  consisting  of  four  or 
five  players,  the  marked-card  player  can  only  manage  to  read 
the  cards  of  one  of  his  adversaries  hands.  I  have  heard  that 
some  of  them  could  keep  the  run  of  two  hands  at  once  with  per 
fect  ease,  but  having  never  known  of  such  an  instance,  I  beg 
leave  to  doubt  the  assertion. 

There  are  plenty  of  starnped-card  players  who  can  keep  the 
run  of  two  hands  correctly  in  a  game  of  poker  where  four  or 
more  persons  are  engaged,  but  it  seems  to  me  beyond  the  range 
of  probability  for  any  one  to  accomplish  the  same  feat  with  what 
is  known  in  sharper's  parlance  as  "  scratched  paper."  The 
marked-card  player  could  accomplish  nothing  on  a  steamer,  ex 
cept  by  the  connivance  of  the  bar-tender,  to  whom  he  was 
obliged  to  give  a  certain  share  in  his  profits  as  the  price  of  his 
assistance  and  silence,  and  for  ringing  in  his  cards  upon  whatever 
party  upon  whom  they  thought  they  could  be  made  profitable. 
These  worthies  seldom  wasted  their  talents  and  their  "  scratched 
paper"  on  any  except  those  who  were  likely  to  reward  them 
handsomely  for  their  time  aud  trouble. 

The  "tricky  tribe,"  while  playing  all-fours,  ecarte,  euchre,  etc., 
with  verdant  adversaries  too  far  advanced  to  stand  a  "half- 
stock,"  or  the  "palm,"  would  resort  to  marking  the  most  ad 
vantageous  cards  with  the  thumb-nail  by  scratching  them  on 


RIVER  SHARPERS.  425 

their  edges,  generally  on  their  sides  near  the  corners.  Some 
times  they  would  "blaze"  with  their  finger-nails,  or  otherwise 
mark  the  aces  and  kings  on  their  backs,  in  order  to  know  them 
at  poker,  or  the  braggers  and  aces  at  brag ;  at  the  latter  game 
the  advantage  was  very  considerable,  while  with  the  former  it 
amounted  to  little.  The  marking  of  certain  cards  in  a  pack, 
while  engaged  at  a  game,  is  not  only  a  tedious  operation,  but 
decidedly  a  dangerous  undertaking  if  not  skillfully  done.  Per 
sons  with  whom  such  tricks  are  generally  tried  on  are  those 
whose  suspicions  have  been  aroused;  and  parties  of  this  kind  are 
hard  to  cheat,  or  rather  are  on  the  alert  to  prevent  any  frauds 
from  being  practiced  upon  them.  None  of  the  tribe  that  I  ever 
heard  of  ever  succeeded  in  gaining  any  prominence  among  the 
members  of  their  own  profession  for  successfully  marking  cards 
while  playing,  and  making  them  tell  advantageously  at  a  game. 
Les  chevaliers  d'industrie  of  Europe  are  far  ahead  of  our  own 
in  this  art.  Many  of  them,  ,while  playing  at  whist,  ecarte, 
cribbage,  and  similar  games,  mark  with  their  thumb-nails  in  an 
incredibly  short  space  of  time  all  the  important  cards  in  the 
pack,  and  play  them  equally  as  well  as  the  best  stamped-card 
player.  In  the  year  1860  I  met  one  of  these  gentlemen  in  Paris, 
a  Frenchman  by  birth,  of  the  most  suave  and  agreeable  manners 
and  gentlemanly  deportment.  I  had  the  honor  of  making  his 
acquaintance,  and  one  evening,  while  seated  in  my  room  discuss 
ing  with  me  the  various  fine  arts  as  practiced  at  cards,  he  offer 
ed  to  bet  me  a  napoleon  that  while  we  were  playing  four  games 
of  ecarte,  he  would  mark  twelve  cards  in  the  pack.  At  any 
time  during  the  playing  of  the  four  games,  if  I  could  detect  him 
marking  a  single  card  by  showing  the  spot  on  which  it  was 
marked,  I  won  the  wager;  or  if,  when  the  four  games  were  finish 
ed,  and  I  had  shuffled  the  pack  to  my  satisfaction,  he  could 
not  then  take  up  the  pack,  and  running  the  cards  off  its  back 
one  at  a  time  and  turning  them  over  on  the  table,  face  up,  as  he 
came  to  it,  any  card  which  he  had  marked,  naming  its  suit  and 
size  before  doing  so,  or  if  he  made  a  single  mistake,  he  lost.  I 
accepted  his  wager,  and  we  played  the  four  games  of  ecarte 
without  my  being  able  to  detect  him  marking  a  single  card. 
When  we  had  finished  the  games  I  shuffled  the  pack  and  hand 
ed  it  to  him ;  he  turned  over  fourteen  cards  as  he  came  to  them, 
naming  then?  suit  and  size  as  he  did  so  without  a  single  halt. 


426  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

While  we  were  playing  our  games,  he  had  handled  his  cards 
rather  awkwardly  for  an  adept,  but  there  was  nothing  in  his  ac 
tions  that  would  in  the  least  arouse  suspicion,  and  it  was  only 
when  I  held  the  cards  which  he  had  marked,  up  to  the  light,  and 
let  its  glare  fall  directly  upon  the  marks,  which  were  done  near 
the  corner  by  a  fine  blaze  that  was  made  by  the  thumb-nail,  and 
in  various  ciphers,  that  I  was  able  to  detect  the  fraud. 

Who  was  the  inventor  of  stamped  cards  I  am  unable  to  say, 
but  that  they  originated  in  this  country  is  nearly  unquestionable. 
No  mention  is  made  of  them  in  any  of  the  gambling  works  pub 
lished  in  Europe;  nor  among  the  multitude  of  tricks  which  have 
been  exposed,  both  by  writers  on  the  subject  and  those  that  have 
been  at  various  times  ventilated  before  tribunals  of  justice,  have 
I  ever  seen  or  heard  of  any  mention  being  made  of  stamped 
cards.  Even  at  the  present  day,  European  sharpers  know  but 
little  about  them,  when  they  might  be  so  serviceably  used  at 
the  various  short-card  games  played  in  those  countries. 

Unlike  our  own  free  and  enlightened  country,  the  despotic 
laws  of  Europe  will  not  permit  card  manufacturers  to  fabricate 
unfair  cards  and  flood  the  continent  with  their  printed  circulars 
informing  whom  it  may  concern  tbat  they  are  ready  to  supply 
all  varieties  of  stamped  cards  of  different  ciphers,  diagrams,  and 
patterns.  The  European  manufacturer  who  ventured  to  commit 
so  flagrant  and  public  a  breach  of  honesty  would  not  only  find 
his  business  broken  up,  but  himself  incarcerated  in  a  prison.  In 
this  country  we  have  plenty  of  manufacturers  of  stamped  cards, 
who  send  out  their  circulars  to  all  parts  of  the  country,  accom 
panied  by  diagrams  of  the  different  patterns  of  cards,  and  the 
various  ciphers  used  upon  them.  A  Mr.  Bartlett,  of  the  city  of 
New  York,  has  been  engaged  in  this  business  about  forty  years, 
and  no  law  in  the  smallest  degree  molests  or  restrains  him. 
How  would  the  commercial  public  take  it,  should  some  engraver 
advertise  that  he  was  ready  to  supply  counterfeiters  with  plates 
on  the  different  banks  throughout  the  country. 

Stamped  cards  were  unknown  in  Mexcio  previous  to  our  in 
vasion  of  that  country,  nor  were  they  known  to  the  people  of 
South  America,  so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  ascertain,  and  I 
took  great  pains  to  do  so,  and  had  many  favorable  opportunities 
during  more  than  a  year  spent  in  rambling  through  Peru,  Ecua 
dor,  and  Chili,  besides  having  made  in  California,  in  the  early 


RIVER  SHARPERS.  427 

days  of  gold,  the  acquaintance  of  gamblers  from  nearly  every 
country  of  South  America.  Not  one  of  these  have  I  ever  yet 
met  who  had  any  idea  of  stamped  cards,  beyond  what  they  had 
learned  in  California.  This  non-manufacture  among  the  Spanish 
racers  of  this  hemisphere  convinces  me  that  they  were  unknown 
to  the  Spaniards,  otherwise  they  would  have  introduced  them 
into  their  colonies;  for  in  no  games  could  they  have  been  made 
so  heavily  advantageous  and  profitable  to  the  sharper,  as  in  the 
two  favorite  ones  of  the  Spaniards,  viz.,  the  bluff  game  of  "  pacao" 
and  the  banking  game  of  monte. 

Before  the  Americans  invaded  their  country,  the  Mexicans 
knew  nothing  about  stamped  cards.  When  the  City  of  Mexico 
was  captured  by  General  Scott,  sharpers  from  the  States  flocked 
there  in  droves.  They  were  not  slow,  by  any  means,  in  perceiv 
ing  the  immense  advantage  to  be  gained  from  stamped  cards 
when  rung  in  on  monte  dealers ;  but  where  were  they  to  get  the 
monte  cards  manufactured  for  this  purpose  ?  Some  of  the  bril 
liant  lights  of  the  fraternity  started  for  New  York,  laid  their 
dilemma  before  Harriett,  and  in  a  few  months  the  line  of  travel 
from  Vera  Cruz  to  the  city  of  Mexico  was  flooded  with  American 
manufactured  monte  cards,  all  stamped.  This  attempt,  however, 
proved  a  failure,  for  neither  American  nor  Mexican  gamblers 
would  use  the  cards;  as,  though  much  finer  than  any  before  man 
ufactured  here,  they  were  very  coarse,  compared  with  those  made 
in  the  City  of  Mexico.  The  Mexican  government  had  sold  the 
monopoly  of  card  manufacturing  to  certain  individuals  in  each 
State  in  the  Republic,  and  a  single  company  in  the  City  of  Mexico 
possessed  the  whole  right  of  doing  so  in  that  State,  and  their 
cards  were  in  use  by  all  the  gamblers  on  Taylor's  and  Scott's  line 
of  occupation.  But  one  resource  was  now  left  to  the  sharpers, 
which  was  to  bribe  the  owners  of  this  establishment.  They  suc 
ceeded  hi  doing  so,  by  paying  the  manufacturers  five  thousand 
dollars  for  one  hundred  gross  of  cards,  of  patterns  similar  to  the 
square  cards  in  use,  stipulating  for  an  equal  amount  of  each 
pattern.  The  sharpers  were  to  furnish  the  necessary  plates, 
which  they  were  obliged  to  have  made  in  New  York,  and 
brought  from  thence  to  the  manufacturers  in  the  City  of  Mexico. 
This  statement  I  give  in  substance  just  as  I  received  it  from 
the  lips  of  a  worthy  member  of  the  fraternity,  now  dead,  by 
name  Mr.  William  Clemmens,  who  was  one  of  the  committee  of 


428  WANDEBINGS  OP  A  VAGABOND. 

sharpers  who  negotiated  for  the  manufacture  of  the  stamped 
cards.  But  unfortunately  for  the  enterprising  movers  of  this 
scheme,  so  much  time  was  consumed  in  getting  the  cards  ready, 
that  about  the  period  that  their  speculation  was  ripe,  peace 
was  suddenly  declared,  and  the  American,  troops  evacuated  the 
country. 

But  following  close  on  the  heels  of  the  war  came  the  discovery 
of  the  golden  fields  of  California,  and  in  the  early  days  of  that 
excitement  monte  was  the  only  banking  game  patronized  by  the 
shoals  who  flocked  from  all  parts  of  the  world  to  the  golden 
State.  These  cards  now  came  into  good  play,  and  during  the 
summer  of  1849  were  extensively  used,  many  of  the  sharpers 
having  made  fortunes  by  them. 

In  the  following  winter  they  returned  to  the  City  of  Mexico, 
and  caused  two  hundred  gross  more  to  be  made,  and  brought 
them  back  with  them  to  California.  But  in  some  manner  sus 
picion  was  raised  against  these  cards,  which  finally  led  to  their 
detection.  And  no  sooner  did  it  become  a  fixed  fact  that  one 
pattern  of  these  cards  was  stamped,  and  therefore  dishonest, 
than  all  the  cards  manufactured  in  the  Republic  of  Mexico  were 
entirely  discarded  and  repudiated,  and  those  manufactured  in 
Barcelona,  Spain,  were  used  instead.  These  cards  have  never 
been  tampered  with,  and  retain  their  popularity  to  the  present 
day. 

Stamped  cards  first  appeared  in  this  country  between  the 
years  1834  and  1835.  When  first  discovered  the  secret  was  so 
precious  as  to  be  carefully  guarded  and  monopolized  by  a  few 
sharpers.  As  is  usual  with  all  new  inventions  of  the  kind,  gam 
blers  first  fell  victims  to  them,  and  continued  to  be  so  for  many 
years.  At  first  they  were  manufactured,  like  counterfeit  money, 
with  great  secrecy,  in  unlikely  places ;  but  when,  they  became 
more  fully  known,  Bartlett,  of  New  York,  and  many  others,  found 
in  their  manufacture  a  profitable  business. 

In  1837  a  man  known  by  the  name  of  Doctor  Cross  commenc 
ed  the  manufacturing  of  stamped  cards  in  the  city  of  New  Or 
leans,  and  continued  it  up  to  as  late  as  1854,  and  it  is  more  than 
probable  that  he  was  the  first  who  carried  on  the  business  in 
this  country.  He  procured  his  cards  in  an  unfinished  state  from 
the  New  York  manufncturers,  and  stamped  them  with  plates  of 
his  own  invention,  or  said  to  be  such,  at  least.  It  was  after  his 


RIVER  SHARPERS.  429 

manufactory  became  perfectly  well  known  that  his  cards  were 
introduced  on  steamers,  and  rung  in  on  the  passengers  by  the 
bar-keepers,  who  "  stood  in  "  for  a  share  of  the  plunder  thus  ob 
tained  by  the  sharpers  for  whom  they  operated. 

At  the  present  time  none  but  the  most  verdant  will  stand 
"  bottom-dealing;"  but,  like  all  new  frauds,  it  had  its  day,  with 
many  kindred  devices  for  robbing  the  unsuspecting.  From  1834 
to  1840  many  gamblers  who  considered  themselves  "par  excel' 
lence"  in  their  profession,  have  stood  it  nobly  while  imagining 
themselves,  no  doubt,  the  victims  of  very  bad  luck.  Almost  any 
person,  with  a  little  practice,  can  deal  from  the  bottom ;  but  to 
perform  the  feat  while  several  pairs  of  keen  eyes  are  concentra 
ting  their  gaze  on  your  fingers  and  the  pack  held  by  them,  with 
out  being  detected,  requires  an  amount  of  coolness  and  nerve,  not 
to  mention  practice,  which  is  possessed  perhaps  by  not  one  man 
in  a  million.  Thirty  years  ago  a  No.  1  bottom-dealer  was  a  king 
among  sharpers.  He  was  dependent  on  no  outside  assistance 
for  fleecing  his  victims,  and  if  he  had  a  partner,  it  was  only  for 
the  purpose  of  skinning  his  dupe  more  expeditiously,  by  dealing 
him  a  large  hand  from  the  bottom,  while  his  partner  would  raise 
from  his  lap  or  from  the  joints  of  his  knee  one  yet  larger,  with 
which  to  beat  it. 

It  is  said  that  bottom-dealing  was  first  brought  to  perfection 
by  a  man  named  Wilson.  This  desirable  consummation  was 
reached  in  1834,  and  about  this  time  first  made  its  appearance 
on  the  western  rivers,  where  it  was  rendered,  in  the  course  of  a 
few  years,  entirely  useless,  through  the  blunders  of  bungling  op 
erators,  and  the  verdant  learned  to  protect  themselves  against 
the  fraud. 

Means  swifter  and  more  sure  were  gradually  brought  into  re 
quisition,  for  robbing  the  votaries  of  chance  of  their  money.  It 
is  a  strong  advantage  undoubtedly  to  know  the  strength  of  your 
adversary's  hand  at  poker;  but  the  work  was  too  tedious  for 
your  fast  sharper.  Luck  would  sometimes  protect  a  "sucker" 
against  "  iteming,"  stamped  cards,  and  bottom-dealing.  In  the 
good  old  times,  before  draw-poker  became  fashionable,  straight 
poker  was  the  favorite  brag  game.  At  this  game  the  cards 
•were  dealt  by  the  winner  of  the  pool,  who  could,  of  course,  keep 
on  dealing  as  often  as  he  could  win.  This  rule  enabled  the 
bottom-dealer  to  help  himself  to  good  cards  as  often  as  he  dealt; 


430  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

but  he  might  win  twenty  pools  in  succession  without  securing 
scarcely  any  money,  should  his  adversaries  hold  poor  hands,  and 
in  the  meantime  one  of  them  might  get,  by  good  luck,  better 
cards  than  those  he  held,  and  thus  win  from  him  a  large  stake. 
True,  if  he  had  a  partner  who  was  posted  in  the  game  he  could 
give  the  "sucker"  a  big  hand  from  the  bottom,  while  his  partner 
raised  from  his  lap  a  bigger  one  to  beat  it  with,  but  it  was  rather 
dangerous  to  attempt  such  a  thing  too  often,  and  the  least  bung 
ling  was  sure  to  lead  to  detection. 

Young  men  perfected  themselves  in  the  science  of  false  cutting 
and  shuffling  "running-up"  hands,  <; palming  out "  cards,  and 
"ringing  them  in,"  ringing  in  cold  packs,  double  discarding,  etc., 
etc.  These  ambitious  tyros  were  taken  under  the  fostering 
care  of  some  patriarch  of  the  sharper  tribe,  who  assisted  them  in 
getting  up  their  games  and  furnished  them  with  money  when 
that  article  was  needed,  which,  with  this  kind  of  sharpers,  was 
generally  the  case,  when  a  trip  on  the  river  was  in  prospect. 

The  popular  game  of  draw-poker,  which  has  entirely  super 
seded  straight  poker  and  brag,  was  the  invention  of  river  sharp 
ers,  and  was  first  put  in  practice  on  the  Mississippi  steamboats. 
This  game  offers  to  the  manipulator  a  hundred-fold  better  facili 
ties  for  fleecing  the  unwary  than  either  of  the  old  games.  The 
skillful  operator  can  give  his  victim,  with  perfect  ease,  as  many 
big  hands  as  he  chooses,  and  at  the  same  time  arm  himself  or  his 
partner  with  better  ones  to  beat  them.  But  a  shrewd  swindler 
seldom  gives  a  sucker  more  than  an  ace-full.  He  first  tempts 
his  appetite  with  two  large  pairs ;  then  threes  of  various  kinds ; 
after  these  are  expended,  he  hoists  him  up  a  flush  or  a  full  hand 
of  a  small  denomination,  and  gradually  increases  them  in  size 
till  he  beats  an  ace-full  for  him ;  beyond  this  he  is  not  likely  to 
go.  Whenever  they  find  customers  who  will  not  stand  running 
up  hands,  false  shuffling  and  cutting,  double  discarding  is 
practiced  upon  them ;  an  advantage  peculiar  to  draw-poker,  and 
not  applicable  to  any  other  game.  Scores  of  those  who  have 
grown  gray  in  the  service  of  the  fickle  goddess,  and  who  were 
the  most  wary  among  her  votaries,  have  come  to  grief  through 
the  following  artful  piece  of  chicanery:  Two  partners  being 
seated  next  each  other,  one  attends  to  the  betting  department, 
while  the  latter  manipulates  the  cards.  He  goes  out  with  three 
aces,  we  will  say  for  example,  which  he  conceals  in  the  joint  of 


RIVER  SHARPERS.  431 

his  kiiee  until  it  conies  bis  turu  to  deal.  The  cards  having  been 
dealt,  he  is  ready  to  help  the  discarded  hands,  and  he  now  con 
veys  from  their  hiding  place  the  stolen  cards,  in  the  palm  of  his 
hand,  and  places  them  upon  the  top  of  the  pack  while  in  the  act 
of  lifting  it  from  the  table.  These  cards  are  now  drawn  by  his 
partner,  who  is  informed,  by  a  secret "  item,''  of  their  denomina 
tion,  and  discards  his  hand  accordingly  for  their  reception.  As 
he  has  the  first  "  say  "  or  "  age,"  and  the  other  players  may  per 
haps  not  chip  in  for  the  pool,  it  is  not  necessary  to  bring  out  the 
hidden  cards;  that  is,  if  any  of  the  players  chip  in,  then  he  tries, 
by  making  a  large  brag,  to  run  them  out ;  but  should  any  of  them 
prove  obstinate  and  stand  the  raise,  then  the  three  aces  are 
brought  into  action.  The  persons  who  can  perform  this  trick 
well  are  by  no  means  numerous. 

The  rough  handling  frequently  received  by  sharpers,  at  the 
hands  of  their  victims,  during  their  various  pilgrimages  up  and 
down  the  river,  finally  caused  them  to  be  a  little  more  wary,  and 
it  was  only  when  the  steamer  was  about  to  make  a  wood-pile  or 
some  port  that  they  would  venture  to  put  the  finishing-stroke  to 
their  nefarious  work,  by  dealing  a  big  hand  to  their  victim  and 
then  beating  it  for  him. 

When  they  had  accomplished  this  they  would  leave  the  boat 
as  quickly  as  convenient,  and  get  upon  the  next  steamer  which 
stopped  at  their  place  of  sojourn,  whether  going  up  or  down 
mattered  very  little  to  them ;  and  having  leeched  what  "suck 
ers  "  they  found  on  her,  abandoned  her,  in  turn,  for  another 
which  offered  them  subjects  for  plunder. 

The  gambling  talents  of  short-card  sharpers  rest  exclusively 
in  their  fingers ;  scarcely  one  of  them  being  capable  of  playing 
any  square  game  with  even  ordinary  ability ;  and  the  non-pro 
fessionals  in  the  country,  who  are  greatly  their  superiors  in  all 
short-card  games  played  on  the  square,  may  be  numbered  by 
thousands.  It  is  in  fact  a  rare  thing  to  find  a  short-card  sharp 
who  has  sufficient  confidence  to  risk  his  money  on  the  square  at 
anything  except  bucking  the  tiger,  which  ravenous  animal  swal 
lows  up  most  of  their  ill-gotten  plunder.  When  square  faro,  a 
two-card  box,  women,  or  kindred  articles  of  commerce  have  de 
pleted  their  pockets  of  their  stolen  funds,  they  are  ready  for 
another  trip  on  the  river,  and  probably  are  obliged  to  fall  back 
on  the  paternal  sharper,  who  fattens  on  their  skill  and  industry 
in  their  nefarious  business,  for  the  "  sinews  of  war." 


432  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

These  thieves  became  so  formidable  in  their  numbers,  and  so 
bold  ill  their  depredations,  as  to  drive  almost  everything  in  the 
shape  of  square  gambling  from  the  river ;  and  it  was  only  when 
a  party  of  acquaintances  sat  down  to  the  card-table,  to  play 
among  themselves,  that  anything  like  a  square  game  could  be 
seen  on  a  steamer.  As  they  were  all  called  professional  gamb 
lers,  the  honest  and  straightforward  of  that  community  had  to 
father  their  crimes  and  share  their  odium.  Their  rascalities 
even,  bad  as  they  were,  were  made  the  themes  of  marvelous  ro 
mantic  stories  by  the  penny-a-liners  and  story-tellers  of  every 
description.  Then  the  wonderful  yarns  that  have  been  circulat 
ed  from  time  to  time  by  the  lovers  of  the  marvelous,  relating  to 
the  outwitting  of  gamblers  at  their  own  games  by  determined 
heroes,  who  have  forced  them  to  disgorge  their  ill-gotten  plun 
der  and  make  restitution  to  every  one  whom  they  had  duped,  and 
many  more  tales,  all  equally  improbable  and  without  foundation, 
is  all  clap-trap.  Sharpers  are  birds  of  prey,  and  cannot  be  out 
witted  in  their  line  of  business.  They  practice  their  arts  on  none 
but  those  whom  they  know  will  stand  them,  and  can  discern  at 
a  single  glance  whether  the  person  seated  before  them  can  be 
cheated  at  play  or  otherwise.  Should  they  chance  on  a  tough  cus 
tomer,  they  drop  him  immediately,  and  seek  others  more  suita 
ble  to  their  purpose. 

About  thirty  years  ago  the  following  story  circulated  freely 
through  the  public  press  of  this  country.  I  have  chosen  it  out 
of  many  of  the  same  kind  of  delicious  morsels  which  the  news 
papers  have,  for  forty  years,  delighted  to  dish  up  to  their  readers, 
and  with  which  marvelous  story-tellers  have  amused  their 
hearers.  The  tale,  on  its  own  merits,  will  compare  most 
favorably  with  those  of  that  wonderful  hero,  Baron  Muuchausen. 

"The  news  having  reached  the  ears  of  a  party  of  gamblers 
that  a  New  Orleans  bank  was  about  to  send  to  Vicksburg  an  ageat 
having  in  his  possession  $95,000  to  discharge  a  claim  in  that 
city,  they  followed  him  on  board  the  New  Orleans  and  Vicks 
burg  packet  with  the  intention  of  robbing  him.  During  the 
trip  he  was  induced  by  them  to  take  part  in  a  game  of  poker, 
and  furnished  with  a  large  betting  hand ;  but  they  did  not  omit, 
at  the  same  time,  to  generously  give  a  member  of  their  own 
gang  one  with  which  to  beat  it.  Several  small  brags  were 
made  by  the  contestants  for  the  pool,  when  the  agent  went  $250 


RIVER  SHARPERS.  433 

better  than  his  opponent,  which  was  all  the  money  belonging  to 
himself  which  he  had  about  him.  This  was  seen,  and  a  brag  of 
$5,000  more  was  made  by  his  adversary.  The  agent  claimed  a 
sight  for  his  $250,  stating  that  it  was  all  the  money  he  had  ;  but 
it  was  refused.  The  object  of  the  scoundrels  being  to  induce  him 
to  break  into  the  package  belonging  to  the  bank,  which  they 
knew  to  be  in  his  possession,  shrewdly  thinking  if  he  once  did  HO 
they  would  not  only  obtain  the  $5,000  on  the  brag,  but  all  the 
rest  of  its  contents.  On  the  refusal  of  his  adversary  to  allow  him 
a  sight,  he  had  appealed  to  the  other  members  of  the  party,  who 
decided  that  he  must  call  the  $5,000  or  forfeit  all  claims  to  the 
pool.  He  again  appealed  to  his  opponent  for  a  sight,  but  was 
informed  by  that  inexorable  gentleman  that  if  he  did  not  call 
the  $5,000  brag  within  five  minutes  he  should  take  down  the 
pool.  The  five  minutes  were  fast  ebbing  away,  amid  the  breath 
less  stillness  of  both  the  actors  in  the  game  and  the  spectators, 
when  the  agent,  as  a  '  dernier  resort,'  determined  to  save  his 
money  from  the  clutches  of  the  swindlers,  took  from  his  bosom 
the  package  belonging  to  the  bank  and  threw  it  on  the  table, 
saying,  '  I'll  see  your  five  thousand  and  go  you  ninety  thousand 
better,  and  if  you  don't  call  the  bet  in  five  minutes  I  shall  take 
down  the  pool.'  The  ruse  was  so  unexpected  that  it  completely 
upset  their  calculations,  and  not  having  sufficient  money  to  call 
the  brag  they  were  compelled  to  forfeit  all  claims  to- the  pool, 
according  to  their  own  ruling,  and  the  agent  swept  it  into  his 
pockets,  amidst  the  cheers  of  the  bystanders." 

This  foolish  tale  was  swallowed  with  avidity  by  the  credulous, 
and  every  word  as  implicitly  believed  as  if  it  were  holy  writ,  and 
the  imaginary  bank-agent  became  a  public  hero.  No  law  ex 
cept  that  of  might  denies  to  a  player  at  a  poker-table  a  sight 
for  what  money  he  has  before  him,  and  it  is  rather  improbable 
that  a  set  of  sharpers  would  dream  of  perpetrating  such  a 
robbery  in  so  public  a  place,  when  they  knew  it  would  be  im 
possible  for  them  to  escape  with  their  plunder.  Sharpers  are 
much  too  shrewd  for  such  bungling  work.  They  take  no 
chances  to  lose  six  or  seven  thousand  dollars,  nor  two  or  three 
hundred  dollars,  nor  even  twenty  dollars,  at  a  hand  of  cards. 
As  for  the  tales  regarding  the  fabulous  sums  bet  at  poker-tables 
on  our  western  rivers,  they  are  all  pure  humbug.  I  have  grave 
doubts  whether  a  brag  of  two  thousand  dollars  has  ever  been 


434  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

lost  and  won  at  a  card-table  on  the  Mississippi  River,  since  the 
steamer  Pennsylvania  descended  that  stream  in  1813. 

Though  railways  have  diverted  a  large  portion  of  the  travel 
from  our  western  waters,  and  consequently  thinned  out  some 
what  the  horde  of  sharpers  who  formerly  infested  the  river 
steamers,  they  are  still  numerous,  and  still  find  fools  to  prey 
upon;  for  the  crop,  unlike  more  useful  harvests,  never  fails. 
But  the  exploits  of  the  noble  army  of  "chevaliers  d'industrie" 
are  by  no  means  confined  to  water  navigation.  Not  at  all ! 
They  are  to  be  found  in  every  city,  town,  and  village,  where 
short-card  playing  for  gain  makes  up  a  portion  of  the  pastime 
of  the  few  or  the  many,  and  sufficient  money  is  hazarded  to  at 
tract  their  cupidity.  Some  are  satisfied  with  quick  gaius  and 
small  profits,  while  others  of  the  class  are  willing  to  wait  mouths, 
in  anticipation  of  taking  in  a  big  pile.  They  can  be  found  of 
all  degrees,  from  the  lowest  and  most  vicious,  up  to  the  most 
enlightened  circles  of  card-players,  plying  their  calling,  and 
among  every  class  find  plenty  of  fools  to  batten  on.  Among 
these  short-card  sharpers  are  shrewd  and  discerning  men  of  per 
suasive  powers  and  agreeable  manners,  who,  having  finished  their 
education  on  the  river,  and  becoming  older  and  more  settled  in 
character,  they  seek  more  respectable  and  profitable  fields  for 
their  labor,-  among  the  upper  classes  whose  card  circles  are  held 
in  private  club-rooms  or  apartments  in  first-class  hotels.  Into 
those  hallowed  precincts,  where  none  bearing  the  name  of  gam 
bler  are  allowed  to  enter,  designing  men  who  are  identified  with 
mercantile  pursuits,  or  some  of  the  professions,  easily  obtain  ad 
mittance.  Many  of  these  worthy  and  immaculate  gentlemen 
have  been  carefully  brought  up  in  the  paths  of  morality ;  some 
are  highly  cultured  and  refined;  but  in  life's  breathless  struggle 
for  possessions,  their  perceptions  of  right  and  wrong  have  be 
come  so  distorted  that  they  look  upon  the  fleecing  of  a  verdant 
at  a  card-table  as  an  admirable  piece  of  finesse.  When  their 
own  skill  has  become  worn  out  upon  their  unsuspecting  adver 
saries  of  the  green  table,  they  manage  to  foist  upon  them  some 
one  of  the  more  skillful  experts  of  their  acquaintance;  perhaps 
under  some  military  title,  or  perhaps  will  tack  to  their  names 
the  handle  of  Professor,  Doctor,  or  Honorable.  These  latter, 
having  once  obtained  a  foothold  in  the  ranks  of  respectability, 
endeavor  to  sustain  it  by  every  means  in  their  power,  and  are 


THREE-CARD  MONTE  THROWERS.  435 

most  careful  to  commit  no  act  which  might  draw  upon  them  the 
slightest  suspicion.  Being  unable,  from  their  very  composition, 
to  support  the  pangs  of  a  losing,  one  of  them  is  seldom  seen 
within  the  doors  of  a  gambling-house,  nor  under  any  circum 
stances  would  they  countenance  a  professional  gambler,  or 
speak  to  him  on  the  street,  and  never  fail  to  warn  their 
verdant  gulls  against  the  association  of  such  disreputable  char 
acters. 

The  question  will  naturally  arise,  Is  there  any  cure  for  this 
crying  evil?  My  answer  is  emphatically,  Yes  /  Make  cheating 
at  the  card -table  a  felony,  punishable  by  the  laws  of  the  laud, 
and  card-sharpers  and  their  insidious  accomplices  will  disap 
pear  like  hoar-frost  before  the  morniug  sun.  So  long  as  the 
legislatures  refuse  to  make  stringent  laws  for  shielding  ver 
dant  card-players,  so  long  will  they  be  the  legitimate  prey  of 
sharpers. 


CHAPTER    XXXV. 

THREE-CARD  MONTE  THROWERS 

Are  the  worst  Pariahs  who  prey  upon  society  under  the  cloak  of 
gambling.  During  the  last  five  and  twenty  years  they  have  in 
fested  our  steamers  and  railways,  and  every  place  of  public 
gathering,  for  the  purpose  of  practicing  their  arts  upon  the  un 
suspecting  and  the  unwary.  These  pests  outnumber  the  short- 
card  sharpers  on  our  western  waters  four  to  one.  The  latter 
claim  with  the  former  no  affinity,  and  say  they  have  destroyed 
all  short-card  playing  on  the  rivers  by  their  three-card  opera 
tions.  Socially,  they  look  down  upon  them  much  as  a  first-class 
burglar  might  look  down  on  some  petty  thief,  at  the  same  time 
claiming  that  their  own  vocation  is  legitimate,  and  based  upon 
the  true  principles  of  science.  For  the  life  of  me  I  cannot  see 
where  this  nice  discrimination  comes  in.  To  attain  pre-eminence 
as  a  three-card  thrower,  seems  to  me  as  difficult  as  to  become  a 
first-class  short-card  sharp,  and  about  equally  meritorious.  In 
order  to  attain  pre-eminence  in  either  of  these  roles,  one  must 
possess  a  self-possession  nothing  can  shake,  nerves  of  iron,  dex- 


436  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

terity  of  hand,  quickness  of  perception,  and  cool  judgment; 
should  he  lack  a  single  one  of  these  qualities,  he  would  be  a 
bungler,  and  entirely  unfit  for  his  calling.  Viewing  both  these 
professions  in  a  moral  light,  they  stand  on  about  the  same  foot 
ing,  and  we  must  conclude  that  both  are  legitimate  in  the  eyes 
of  the  law,  since  none  of  our  legislatures  have  made  any  efforts 
towards  their  suppression  or  punishment. 

At  what  period  we  were  first  blessed  with  this  ingenious  little 
game  with  three  cards,  I  am  utterly  unable  to  say ;  but  that  we 
are  indebted  for  the  boon  to  Mexico,  on  whose  soil  it  first  orig 
inated,  is  unquestionable.  At  the  time  we  invaded  that  country, 
it  burst  the  narrow  limits  formerly  confining  it,  and  went  on 
"conquering  and  to  conquer,"  until  it  is  now  probably  known  to 
the  entire  English-speaking  population  of  the  globe.  It  made 
its  appearance  in  the  city  of  New  Orleans  as  early  as  1837,  and 
at  once  became  popular  with  the  sharpers  as  an  ingenious  de 
vice  for  ridding  the  verdant  of  their  superfluous  cash.  In  the 
above-named  year  we  find  that  one  Phillips  was  in  that  city 
convicted  and  sentenced  two  years  in  the  penitentiary  for  re 
lieving  a  man  of  $700  at  the  three-card  game.  The  offense  was 
pressed  under  the  head  of  larceny,  and  from  the  time  of  that 
conviction,  three-card  throwers  did  not  show  up  in  Louisiana,  or 
in  fact  in  any  other  State  in  the  Union,  until  about  the  breaking 
out  of  the  Mexican  war. 

Amongst  all  the  followers  of  Taylor's  and  Scott's  armies,  not  a 
single  three-card  thrower  could  be  found ;  but  numbers  of  the 
Mexican  tribe,  following  that  ingenious  calling,  gradually  found 
their  way  among  the  troops,  where  they  plied  their  vocation 
among  the  wagon  trains  or  in  the  public  streets,  whenever  they 
could  do  so  without  danger  of  interference  from  the  Mexican 
authorities.  By  the  Mexican  gamblers  they  were  styled  ladrones 
(thieves),  and  many  years  previous  to  our  invasion  of  the  coun 
try  were  all  known  to  its  inhabitants.  They  followed  up  feasts, 
were  to  be  found  in  the  market-places  of  large  cities,  and  in 
fact  at  all  sorts  of  public  gatherings  wherever  a  crowd  assem 
bled. 

They  were  not  permitted  openly  to  ply  their  vocation,  but 
carried  on  their  business  much  as  the  three-card  sharpers  of 
England  operate  at  the  present  time.  Whenever  they  were 
dragged  before  an  Alcalde,  and  the  fact  of  their  having  robbed 


THREE-CARD  MOXTE   THROWERS.  437 

any  person  at  their  little  game  was  proven  against  them,  they 
were  compelled  to  refund  the  plunder  and  pay  a  fine  of  two 
ounces  ($32)  or  stand  committed  to  work  for  two  months  in  the 
chain-gang. 

While  in  Saltillo,  during  the  summer  of  1847,  I  recollect  see 
ing  one  of  these  fellows.  He  was  called  Pancho,  and  if  he  ever 
had  any  other  name,  no  one  seemed  to  be  aware  of  the  fact, 
and  I  am  sure  I  never  ascertained  it.  He  was  scarcely  twenty 
years  old,  hut,  young  as  he  was,  I  doubt  if  he  ever  had  a  superior 
in  tossing  about  the  three  cards.  His  dexterity  at  the  business 
was  truly  wonderful.  Having  collected  in  this  manner,  from  the 
American  citizens  and  soldiers  about  the  camp  of  Buena  Vista 
and  in  the  City  of  Saltillo,  something  like  $5,000,  he  made  a 
match  game  with  a  dragoon  of  the  regulars.  They  each  put  up 
$3,000,  the  whole  to  be  played  for  until  won.  The  conditions  of 
the  game  were  that  Pancho  should  throw  with  American  cards 
and  the  dragoon  do  the  guessing.  The  latter  "rung  in" 
stamped  cards  upon  his  adversary,  which  was  a  little  too  high- 
strung  for  Paucho,  who,  losing  his  money,  imagined  doubtless 
that  he  had  "muy  malo  suerte." 

In  the  early  days  of  California  the  country  was  overrun  with 
these  three-card  throwers  and  their  confederates.  Among  them 
were  Americans,  Englishmen,  and  Mexicans,  and,  with  the  ex 
ception  of  a  single  German,  all  the  three-card  throwers  I  have 
ever  met  were  composed  of  these  nationalities.  Wherever  a 
fellow  could  be  discovered  capable  of  throwing  three  cards,  the 
sharpers  immediately  brought  him  to  the  front.  These  light- 
fingered  gentry  could  be  found  plying  their  calling  in  every  city 
and  mining  camp  of  any  importance  in  the  State.  In  the  streets 
of  San  Francisco  and  Sacramento,  numbers  of  them  might  be 
seen  any  day  seated  on  the  sidewalk,  throwing  their  cards,  as 
well  as  in  every  vile  den  with  which  those  cities  then  abounded. 
It  was  truly  wonderful  where  all  the  fools  on  whom  they  preyed 
came  from,  for  in  those  days  they  found  plenty.  When  the  State 
licensed  gambling  it  made  three-card  throwing,  strop-playing, 
thimble-rigging,  and  kindred  games  a  felony,  and  from  that  time 
forth  was  comparatively  free  of  these  pests. 

The  numbers  of  three-card  throwers  in  England  is  something 
marvelous,  especially  in  and  nround  London.  Not  a  single  train 
leaves  that  city  which  does  not  carry  with  it  a  gang  of  three- 


438  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

card  throwers.  They  prowl  around  the  different  railway  stations, 
carefully  inspecting  each  passenger,  and,  as  if  by  instinct,  can  tell 
instantly -the  pigeon  from  the  hawk.  Liberally  feeing  the  of 
ficials,  they  are  furnished  with  duplicate  keys  to  the  carriage 
doors,  and  by  that  means  can,  if  desirable,  change  their  carriage 
at  every  station.  Immediately  upon  the  starting  of  the  train 
they  open  their  little  game,  and  by  the  time  it  arrives  at  an 
other  station  they  leave  the  carriage  then  occupied  for  another, 
unless  they  have  succeeded  in  finding  customers  for  whose  ben 
efit  it  will  pay  them  to  remain.  They  roatn  from  carriage  to 
carriage  hi  search  of  prey  until  the  train  reaches  its  destination. 
At  race-meetings,  and  along  the  roads  leading  to  the  courses, 
they  can  be  seen  huddled  together  in  knots,  where  perhaps  the 
operator  has  spread  his  coat  upon  the  green  sward,  and  is  tossing 
about  his  cards  in  hopes  some  passer-by  may  be  attracted  by  it, 
to  give.him  a  bet ;  while  at  the  same  time  half  a  dozen  cappers 
are  giving  him  every  possible  assistance,  by  voice  and  action, 
while  in  the  distance  are  posted  sentinels,  to  give  the  alarm  in 
case  the  intruding  feet  of  a  policeman  approaches,  whose  duty  it 
is  to  arrest  them  when  found  plying  their  vocation. 

To  conduct  any  banking  game  of  chance  is,  according  to  the 
laws  of  England,  a  felony,  with  the  single  exception  of  those  at 
Newmarket  during  race-meetings  at  that  place,  which  are  per 
mitted  and  are  exempt  from  punishment  by  special  act  of  Parlia 
ment.  All  public  games  played  like  three-card  inonte,  strap- 
games,  etc.,  are  misdemeanors,  and  are  punishable  by  one  or  two 
months  in  the  House  of  Correction.  These,  however,  are  in 
fringed  upon,  especially  around  race-meetings,  daily;  and  magis 
trates  are  very  slow  to  enforce  them,  as  public  opinion  regards 
the  penalties  as  being  much  too  severe  for  the  offense.  But  the 
police  break  up  these  games  wherever  found,  and  should  the 
conductor  of  such  a  game  be  hauled  up  before  a  magistrate  by 
one  of  his  victims,  for  the  purpose  of  regaining  the  money  lost  to 
him,  it  is  generally  refunded,  on  condition  that  the  complaint  be 
withdrawn.  Should  the  complainant,  however,  press  his  charge 
against  one  of  these  sharps,  he  will  get  three  months  in  the 
House  of  Correction,  but  on  an  average  not  one  case  of  the  kind 
occurs  annually. 

A  person  who  is  convicted  of  playing  scratched  or  loaded  dice, 
or  of  secreting  cards  upon  his  person  while  playing  for  money, 


THREE-CARD  MOXTE  THROWERS.  439 

or  in  any  manner  cheating  his  adversary  at  play  where  money  is 
at  stake,  is  sentenced  to  a  felon's  cell  for  a  term  of  years.  The 
offenses  just  enumerated  are  not  a  whit  more  grave  than  that  of 
the  three-card  thrower ;  but  as  all  the  lawyers  in  England  could 
not  convict  him  of  cheating,  except  his  cappers  gave  voluntary 
evidence  against  him,  and  as  all  stand  equally  in  danger  of  the 
law,  it  is  not  likely  such  a  thing  would  occur  once  in  a  cen 
tury.  The  reason  why  the  three-card  thrower  evades  pun 
ishment  is  because  there  is  no  special  act  making  three-card 
throwing  a  felony,  and  justice  is  unable  to  fix  his  guilt  upon 
him. 

For  many  years  after  the  conviction  of  Phillips,  not  a  single 
three-card  thrower  was  to  be  found  in  New  Orleans,  at  least  in 
any  of  the  public  places.  Those  chevaliers  d'industrie  who 
plied  their  vocation  there  did  so  with  the  greatest  secrecy  and 
caution ;  and  only  among  the  initiated  in  cock-pits,  and  in  those 
low  dens  of  vice  at  the  swamps  or  down  at  Lake  Pontchartrain, 
and  more  often  along  the  flat-boat  landing,  would  be  chosen 
as  the  theatre  of  their  operations.  Their  subjects  were  princi 
pally  strangers,  who  were  less  likely  to  make  complaints  than 
residents,  before  the  police  courts,  and  unlikely  to  remain  in  the 
city  during  the  sickly  mouths,  to  prosecute.  At  the  commence 
ment  of  the  Mexican  war  New  Orleans  resembled  nothing  so 
much  as  a  beleaguered  city,  except  that  troops  were  either  leav 
ing  or  arriving  there  daily.  Thieves  and  sharpers  of  every  de 
scription  flocked  there  to  follow  their  nefarious  business,  and 
while  the  excitement  lasted,  sharping  of  every  description  flour 
ished  boldly  and  went  scot-free.  Among  others,  the  three-card 
throwers,  finding  that  justice  slept  and  fools  were  plentiful, 
emerged  from  their  temporary  eclipse,  and  began  once  more  to 
ply  their  vocation,  with  none  to  molest  or  make  them  afraid.  No 
longer  was  it  necessary  for  them  to  seek  out  hidden  places  in 
which  to  perform  their  villainies  ;  but  they  were  to  be  met  with 
on  the  levee,  in  bar-rooms,  and  even  at  the  public  balls.  Finally 
they  took  possession  of  the  cabins  of  the  river  steamers,  and 
captains  who,  but  a  few  months  previously,  would  have  set  a 
man  ashore,  if  not  caused  him  to  be  lynched,  whom  they  caught 
throwing  three  cards  on  their  steamers,  were  compelled  to  con 
fess  that  a  new  era  had  dawned^  and  that  the  legitimacy  of  three- 
card  monte  was  established.  From  that,  to  them,  auspicious  day, 


440  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

to  this,  the  three-card  inoute  sharps  have  been  following  up  our 
lines  of  travel  throughout  the  country,  robbing  the  verdant  with 
perfect  impunity.  From  travelers  on  our  western  rivers  have 
they  derived  their  greatest  profits.  Many  of  the  captains  of 
packets  leaving  the  ports  of  St.  Louis  and  New  Orleans  stood  in 
with  the  sharpers,  receiving  from  the  thieves  one-third  of  the 
money  which  they  plundered  from  the  passengers. 

On  an  evening  after  leaving  port,  the  supper-table  having 
been  cleared,  a  table  was  placed  in  the  social  hall,  and  the  ma 
nipulator  commenced  business,  assisted  by  a  half-dozen  or  so  of 
cappers.  This  party  having  cleaned  out  all  the  verdant  fools 
which  they  could  find,  then  left  the  steamer  at  the  first  landing, 
and  took  the  next  boat  back  to  the  city;  or  perhaps  they  would 
continue  up  or  down  the  river,  as  the  case  might  be,  boarding  a 
boat,  and,  after  fleecing  what  dupes  they  might  discover  on  her, 
leave  her  at  the  first  landing,  taking  the  next  that  came  along 
and  working  her  tbe  same  way,  and  so  on  ad  inflnitum. 

After  opening  their  game  -they  could  tell  in  a  few  moments 
whether  there  were  any  subjects  aboard  worthy  of  their  attention ; 
and  so  long  as  they  had  hopes  of  dragging  a  victim  to  the  sham 
bles,  so  long  would  they  remain ;  but  when  the  hope  was  lost, 
the  boat  was  immediately  abandoned. 

Three-card  rnonte  is  in  appearance  a  very  simpie  game,  and 
the  manner  of  throwing  the  cards  in  a  straight  game  is  easily 
learned  in  a  few  minutes.  The  sharper  takes  three  cards  between 
the  fingers  of  his  right  hand;  the  cards  being,  we  will  say,  two 
red  ones  and  a  black  one.  He  shows  the  faces  of  these  to  the 
company  and  throws  them  down  back  upwards  on  a  table,  the 
ground,  or  whatever  substitute  he  uses  for  a  table,  saying,  "I'll 
bet  $10,  $20,  or  $50,  as  the  case  may  be,  that  no  one  here  can 
pick  up  the  black  card."  This  game,  when  played  on  the  square, 
is  two  to  one  in  favor  of  the  person  throwing  the  cards;  but  it 
was  never  created  for  a  fair  game  of  chance,  even  in  that  respect, 
but  as  a  cunning  device  for  robbing  and  swindling  such  persons 
as  are  only  willing  to  risk  their  money  on  a  dead-sure  thing. 
The  rapidity  with  which  the  cards  are  tossed  about  by  the 
sharper  confuses  the  sight  of  the  bystanders,  and  it  is  the  pol 
icy  of  the  former  to  make  his  dupes  believe  that  such  is  the 
true  principle  of  the  game.  Were  he  satisfied  to  let  the  matter 
rest  on  this  basis,  with  two  to  one  hi  his  favor,  he  could  hardly 


THREE-CARD  MOXTE   THROWERS.  441 

lose,  but  he  would  have  only  the  veriest  fools  for  antagonists, 
and  would,  besides,  lose  more  than  two-thirds  of  his  most  valuable 
customers.  It  is  the  dread  of  losing  which  deters  the  opponents 
of  gambling  from  risking  their  money  at  the  card- table.  Show 
them  where  they  can  be  assured  of  always  winning,  and  they 
will  jump  at  it  with  the  alacrity  of  a  cat  pouncing  upon  a  mouse ; 
point  out  to  them  a  "dead-sure  thing,"  and  their  conscientious 
scruples  will  vanish  like  fog  before  the  scorching  beams  of  a 
summer  sun.  I  have  seen  in  California,  lousy  miners,  too  stingy 
to  pay  for  a  bath  or  a  shave,  pull  out  a  bag  of  gold-dust  equiv 
alent  to  several  hundred  dollars,  and  bet  it  on  the  turning  over 
of  a  card  at  three-card  moute,  with  an  eagerness  which  was  sur 
prising,  till  one  reflects  that  they  believed  they  had  a  dead 
certaiuty  of  winning,  as  much  as  they  believed  in  the  certainty 
of  their  own  existence.  At  the  same  time  not  one  in  ten  of 
them  would  hazard  his  money  on  a  square  game  of  any  descrip 
tion,  or  an  even  chance  of  any  kind.  These  are  the  characters 
who  feed  the  three-card  monte  throwers,  strop-players,  thimble- 
riggers,  and  pocket-book  droppers,  with  others  of  their  ilk; 
it  is  the  greed  "of  gain  that  tempts  them,  and  they  are  entirely 
unworthy  of  sympathy. 

Three-card  monte  is  a  deception,  and  herein  lies  the  success 
of  the  fraud.  Every  motion  of  the  sharper's  tongue  and  fingers 
is  a  deception  while  tossing  about  his  cards  for  the  luriug  within 
his  toils  of  a  victim ;  and  to  aid  him  in  its  consummation,  five  or 
six  cappers  are  making  sham  bets  and  in  this  manner  keep  up 
the  play  so  long  as  there  is  any  hope  of  inveigling  a  victim.  A 
bystander  who  expresses  by  words,  signs  or  looks,  that  he  is 
capable  of  picking  out  the  desired  card,  is  instantly  frozen  to  by 
one  of  the  cappers,  and  no  artifice  will  be  left  untried  to  induce 
him  to  part  with  his  money.  Since  the  first  introduction  of  the 
trick  among  us,  many  skillful  baits  have  been  introduced  into  it 
to  catch  fools.  Tbe  original  device  for  this  purpose  was  to  bend 
clown  a  corner  of  the  winning  card,  which  was  usually  accom 
plished  in  the  following  manner:  While  the  sharper  is  tossing  his 
cards  about,  the  cappers,  in  order  to  distract  his  attention,  get 
up  a  sham  fight,  or  one  of  them  touches  him  on  the  shoulder  in 
order  to  induce  him  to  look  around — a  play  which  he  performs 
with  much  alacrity;  and  while  the  first  whispers  in  his  ear,  a 
second  capper  bends  the  corner  of  the  winning  card,  taking  care 


442  •WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

that  its  face  be  distinctly  seen  by  the  "gull"  looking  on.  The 
sharper,  recommencing  to  throw  his  cards,  of  course  never  dis 
cerns  the  bend  on  the  card  on  which  he  wishes  to  bet,  iior  for  a 
moment  sees  that  it  has  a  rather  deformed  appearance,  as  he 
wagers  his  money  that  no  one  present  can  pick  it  up.  He,  unsus 
pecting  soul,  throws  his  cards  down  on  the  table,  crying,  "  I'll  bet 
fifty  or  one  hundred  dollars  that  no  one  can  pick  out  the  black 
card,"  and  the  same  black  card  is  thrown,  face  upwards,  on  the 
table,  so  that  all  may  see  its  face,  as  well  as  the  bend  in  its  cor 
ner.  But  now,  when  he  gives  his  "finishing  shuffle,"  as  he  calls 
it,  preparatory  to  taking  the  offered  wagers,  he  passes  the  cards 
back  and  forward  between  his  fingers,  and  quick  as  thought 
straightens  the  bended  corner  of  the  winner  into  its  former 
shape,  while  at  the  same  instant  another  finger  bends  up  the 
corner  ,pf  another  card ;  the  three  cards  are  now  laid  side  by 
side,  one  having  a  bended  corner,  and  the  sharper  is  now  ready 
to  take  bets  to  any  amount  that  no  person  can  select  the  win 
ning  card  from  its  two  fellows. 

At  the  present  day  a  speck  of  black  sand  is  more  commonly 
used.  The  sharper  selects  for  his  game  three  new  cards  of  spot 
less  purity,  save  the  print  and  a  small  black  speck  on  .the  back 
of  one,  no  larger  than  a  pin's  head ;  this  of  course  being  the  win 
ning  card.  The  capper  of  course  drops  on  the  mark,  and  follows 
it  up  by  winning  two  or  more  straight  bets  on  it.  But  he  is  not 
so  selfish  as  to  keep  the  golden  secret  solely  to  himself;  the  at 
tention  of  the  "  gulls"  is  called  in  that  direction  by  the  generous 
fellow,  in  order  that  they  may  get  a  little  of  the  "  chicken  pie." 
The  sharper,  keeping  a  sharp  look-out  whenever  he  sees  one  of 
his  dupes  having  his  money  ready  to  back  the  spotted  card,  gives 
the  cards  a  gentle  shuffle,  at  the  same  moment  wiping  off  the 
grain  of  sand,  which  adheres  to  the  ball  of  one  of  the  fingers  of 
his  right  hand,  while  with  one  of  the  fingers  of  his  left  hand  he 
plants  a  similar  speck  on  the  back  of  one  of  the  others.  So  dex 
terously  and  rapidly  does  he  perform  this  little  piece  of  leger- 
de-main  that  the  eyes  of  his  own  cappers  are  unable  to  detect 
the  trick.  All  the  world  and  his  wife  would  not  induce  the  "gull  " 
to  believe  he  has  not  a  dead-sure  thing  on  that  card,  and  on  the 
strength  of  his  belief  he  sizes  up  all  his  money.  But  should 
craven  fear  seize  him,  and  caution  him  to  risk  but  a  portion  of 
his  money,  the  operator  is  suddenly  seized  with  the  notion  that 


THREE-CARD  MONTE  THROWERS.  443 

he  will  only  take  bets  of  a  certain  amount,  and  on  no  account 
will  he  take  one  of  less;  the  "gull"is  forced  to  hazard  his  all,  and 
should  he  not  have  a  sufficiency  of  money  to  make  up  that 
amount,  some  of  those  accommodating  gentlemen,  the  cappers, 
will  take  the  balance,  just  to  see  the  bet  come  off. 

I  have  never  yet  in  my  life  seen  an  elderly  person  throwing 
three  cards ;  the  tribe  is  composed  exclusively  of  young  men,  or 
those  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  all  belonging  to  the  ignorant  and 
uncultivated  class ;  it  being  an  exceedingly  rare  thing  to  see  one 
of  gentlemanly  exterior  or  manners  and  habits.  The  ruffian 
predominates  largely  among  them,  and  it  is  impossible  for  them 
to  disguise  the  fact.  None  of  them  ever  have,  that  I  know  of, 
shown  any  aptitude  for  card-playing,  and  whatever  gambling  they 
do  is  playing  against  faro  or  other  banking  games.  Not  a  few  of 
them  are  roped  in  for  victims  of  the  two-card  boxes,  and  there 
fleeced.  These,  sviih  the  assistance  of  lewd  women  and  extrav 
agant  habits,  strip  from  the  mass  of  them  their  ill-gotten  gains. 
Still,  there  have  been  among  the  tribe,  individuals  who  could  not 
be  induced  to  hazard  their  money  at  any  sort  of  gaming  what 
ever;  and  these  have,  after  a  few  years,  retired  with  a  sufficient 
competency,  and  turned  respectable.  I  have  already  mentioned 
that  every  three-card  thrower  is  accompanied  by  a  retinue  of 
five  or  more  cappers,  who  usually  receive  from  him  a  small  per 
centage  on  whatever  plunder  is  obtained.  These  are  of  the  low 
est  and  most  despicable  order  of  human  beings,  and  are  similar 
in  habits  and  social  status  to  those  employed  by  the  lower  order 
of  brace-houses  to  cap  their  games. 


444  WANDERINGS  OP  A  YAGABOXD. 

CHAPTER   XXXYI- 

THE   HOG-DROVER. 

In  the  summer  of  1858  I  chanced  to  be  a  passenger  on  board 
the  steamer  Robert  P.  Hale,  bound  from  Louisville  to  New- 
Orleans.  We  left  Memphis  in  the  evening,  having  taken  on 
board  at  that  place  a  cargo  of  three-card  sharpers.  The  supper- 
table  being  cleared,  the  chief  manipulator,  a  tall,  hungry-looking 
specimen  of  humanity,  with  long  dark  hair  and  a  sanctimonious- 
looking  face,  caused  one  of  the  card- tables  to  be  arranged  for 
him  in  the  social  hall.  Having  taken  from  his  coat-pocket  a 
pack  of  cards,  he  placed  them  on  the  table  before  him  and  com 
menced  drumming  up  customers  in  somewhat  the  following 
strain:  "Come  this  way,  gentlemen;  I'm  agoin'  ter  show  yer  a 
trick  I  was  robbed  at  a  few  days  ago,  whilst  I  was  on  ther  bote 
goin'  home  from  Memphis,  by  a  rascally  set  o"  three-card  monte 
sharpers.  Them  scoundrels  is  allers  travelin'  on  steamboats  fur 
ter  swindle  ther  passengers.  They've  robbed  me,  and  I'm  goiu' 
ter  expose  'em  every  chance  I  gits.  Come  up,  gentlemen,  an'  I'll 
show  yer  how  they  does  it.  It's  the  dooty  of  everybody  to  know 
how  to  protect  hisself.  So  come  this  way,  gentlemen ;  yer  can't 
lose  nothin'  by  learnin'."  This  appeal  had  the  desired  effect, 
and  in  a  few  moments  the  orator  was  surrounded  by  an  atten 
tive  audience,  if  not  an  admiring  one. 

He  then  selected  from  the  pack  three  cards,  which  he  bent 
sideways  between  his  fingers,  and  then  threw  them  face  upwards 
upon  the  table,  saying,  "Gentlemen,  here's  the  eight  o'  clubs,  the 
eight  o'  spades,  and  the  queen  o'  hearts.  The  queen  o'  hearts, 
gentlemen,  is  the  winning  card.  Now,  gentlemen,  this  ere  trick 
may  be  simple  to  you,  but  the  scoundrels  robbed  me  of  a  hundred 
dollars  at  it,  an'  they  shan't  cheat  nobody  else  ef  I  kin  help  it. 
Now,  gentlemen,  keep  yer  eyes  on  the  keards.  I'm  a  going  ter  fix 
?em  as  them  fellows  fixed  'em  fur  me.  The  winning  keard  is 
ther  queen  o'  hearts ;  don't  forget  it,  gentlemen." 

The  manipulator  tossed  his  cards  backwards  and  forwards 
between  his  fingers  in  rather  a  clumsy  manner,  after  which 
he  left  the  three  resting  side  by  side  before  him  on  the  table. 
Then  looking  around  on  his  audience,  he  said,  "Thar's  the  trick, 


THE  HOG-DEOVEK,  445 

gentlemen."  A  perfect  stillness  prevailed.  His  audience  did  not 
display  any  emotional  or  other  signs  that  their  mental  faculties 
were  greatly  improved  by  his  exposition. 

"  What's  the  trick?"  inquired  a  tall  capper,  standing  in  the 
outward  circle,  and  peering  over  the  heads  of  the  bystanders 
between  himself  and  the  table. 

"Thar  it  is,"  reiterated  the  manipulator,  pointing  liis  index 
finger  at  the  three  cards.  "Yer  see  they  bet  me  a  hundred  dol 
lars  I  couldn't  pick  out  the  queen  o'  hearts,  and  I  didn't ;  an' 
that's  ther  way  as  how  they  stole  my  money  from  me." 

"Ch 1!"  swore  the  tall  capper  who  had'  before  spoken, 

still  peering  over  the  heads  of  the  crowd.  "I  thought  after  all 
his  fuss  that  feller  was  goiu'  to  show  us  somethin'  new." 

"  It  was  new  enough  fur  me  to  lose  my  hundred  dollars  at, 
Mister,"  replied  the  manipulator,  tartly. 

"Ye  said  they  cheated  ye.  didn't  yer?"  demanded  a  diminu 
tive,  piuched-faced  individual,  standing  at  a  corner  of  the  table, 
attentively  regarding  the  operator,  with  both  hands  thrust  into 
the  pockets  of  his  pantaloons,  and  who  was  also  a  capper  of  the 
concern. 

"That's  what  I  said,  an'  I  sticks  to  it,"  responded  the  manip 
ulator. 

"Well,  how  did  they  cheat?"  again  demanded  the  diminutive 
gentleman. 

"Didn't  I  tell  yer  they  bet  me  a  hundred  dollars  I  couldn't 
pick  up  the  queen  o'  hearts  ?" 

"An'  ye  bet  'em?"  said  the  under-sized  gentleman. 

"Uv  course  I  did,  an'  lost." 

"Of  course  he  did  and  lost," mimicked  the  tall  capper.  "Had 
he  happened  to  pick  up  the  right  card  and  won,  then  them  fel 
lers  wouldn't  a'  been  thieves — oh  no !  I  guess  not !"  he  exclaim 
ed,  a  broad  grin  expanding  over  his  countenance. 

"Well,"  cried  the  operator,  evidently  lashed  up  by  the  taunts 
of  the  tall  individual,  "I  knows  the  game's  a  swindle  because 
nobody  couldn't  pick  out  the  queen,  an'  them  there  cussed  ras 
cals  wouldn't  a'  bet  me,  only  they  knowed  I  couldn't  a'  picked 
it  up." 

"I'll  bet  you  a  hundred  dollars  I  can  pick  the  queen  out  o7 
them  three  cards,  Mister,"  said  the  small  man. 

"Not  with  me,  stranger,"  replied  the  manipulator;  "no  more 


446  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

o'  my  money  goes  that  there  way ;  I  ain't  here  ter  gamble,  but 
ter  expose  a  fraud,  an'  I  bets  no  more  money  with  nobody." 

At  this  stage  of  the  proceedings  a  fine-looking  fellow,  fashion 
ably  attired,  with  a  superabundance  of  diamond  studs  twinkling 
in  the  bosom  of  his  shirt,  and  a  large  gold  chain  around  his  neck, 
attached  to  a  watch  in  his  vest  pocket,  not  to  mention  a  profu 
sion  of  other  jewelry  which  he  carried  about  him,  cried,  "I'll 
take  that  bet !  "  All  eyes  were  now  centred  on  the  fashionable- 
looking  stranger,  who  elbowed  his  way  through  the  crowd  that 
surrounded  the  table,  until  he  stood  immediately  in  front  of  it. 
Taking  from  the  inside  pocket  of  his  vest  a  large  bundle  of  bank 
notes  he  pulled  from  it  a  hundred  dollar  bill,  which  he  flung 
carelessly  on  the  table,  at  the  same  time  casting  his  eyes  towards 
the  diminutive  gentleman,  and  saying,  "Cover  that  if  you  think 
you  can  turn  over  the  queen  of  hearts." 

"Thar's  my  soap !"  replied  the  person  addressed,  bringing  his 
hand  out  from  his  breeches  pockets,  and  flinging  upon  the  table 
five  twenty -dollar  gold  pieces. 

" Pick  her  up,  then,  an'  the  money's  yours !  "said  the  fashion 
ably-dressed  stranger. 

The  little  man  reached  over  and  picked  up  one  of  the  cards 
and  turned  it  face  upwards.  It  was  the  eight  of  spades.  His 
defeat  was  greeted  with  uproarious  laugh  ter  from  the  crowd,  who 
by  this  time  had  become  exceedingly  interested  in  the  proceed 
ings. 

"  I'll  give  you  a  chance  to  get  even,  sir,"  said  the  winner  to 
his  defeated  adversary. 

"All  right !"  said  that  gentleman,  going  back  into  his  breech 
es  pocket  and  bringing  forth  five  more  double  eagles,  addressing 
the  operator  with,  "  Shuffle  up  yer  tricks,  Mister." 

That  person  complied  according  to  the  most  approved  method, 
and  laid  out  the  three  cards,  ready  for  the  hazard.  The  little  gen 
tleman  again  essayed  to  find  her  majesty  of  hearts  among  the 
three  cards,  but  with  no  better  success  than  before,  having  this 
time  flopped  over  the  eight  of  clubs.  The  second  time  was  his  dis 
comfiture  hailed  with  a  shout  of  derision  from  those  assembled 
around  the  table. 

"  I'll  go  you  again,"  said  the  winning  gentleman,  hauling  in 
the  stakes. 

"  No  more  o'  that  there  thieving  game  fur  me,"  cried  the  lit- 


THE  HOG-DROVER.  447 

tie  man,  thrusting  both  hands  into  tiis  breeches  pockets  as  far  as 
practicable,  and  staring  at  the  three  cards  as  if  he  had  an  appe 
tite  to  eat  them  up. 

"  I'll  go  yer  a  hundred  fur  a  flyer,"  now  sung  out  anothercap- 
per,  who  up  to  this  moment  had  remained  a  silent  spectator  of 
the  scene. 

"  There's  my  money,"  responded  the  well-dressed  stranger, 
carelessly  throwing  upon  the  table  five  of  the  gold  pieces  he  had 
taken  in  from  the  diminutive  gentleman. 

''I  object  ter  throwin1  these  here  keards  enny  more,  gentle 
men.  I  ain't  here  to  assist  gamblin',  but  ter  expose  roguery," 
said  the  manipulator,  gathering  up  his  cards  and  returning  them 
to  his  coat  pocket. 

"  Yer  ain't  bettin',  air  ye?  "  demanded  the  little  man,  fiercely, 
with  his  arms  still  thrust  to  his  elbows  into  his  pantaloons. 
"  Shake  up  yer  keards ;  mebbe  I'll  get  a  chance  ter  git  even,"  he 
added  in  an  undertone. 

"  Go  on  !  go  on !  "  shouted  all  the  cappers  with  one  voice,  to 
which  several  of  the  disinterested  bystanders  added  theirs.  Such 
an  unanimous  appeal  could  not  of  course  be  resisted,  and  the  op 
erator  again  placed  his  cards  on  the  table  and  selected  from  the 
pack  three  new  ones,  and  showing  their  faces  to  the  bystanders 
there  appeared  the  trois  of  clubs,  the  trois  of  spades,  and  a  king 
of  hearts.  He  gave  the  three  cards  a  "  Grecian  bend,"  tossed 
them  about  on  the  table  a  few  times,  saying  as  he  did  so : 

"Gentlemen,  the  king  of  hearts  is  thewinnin'  keard;  remem 
ber  tbat,  gentlemen ! "  then  suddenly  stopping  in  his  work,  he 
made  an  appeal  to  his  auditors  in  the  following  fashion :  "  Gen 
tlemen,  I'm  a  poor  man,  an'  I  hope  yer'll  throw  in  sumthin'  ter 
.  pay  my  expenses.  'I  only  wants  enough,  gentlemen,  ter  pay  my 
way  home ;  an'  I  knows  as  how  yer  don't  want  me  ter  work  here 
fur  nuthin'." 

"  That  there  man's  all  the  winner ;  let  >im  give  yer  sunthin', 
he  kin  well  afford  it,"  said  the  diminutive  gentleman,  savagely, 
pointing  over  at  the  man  with  the  gold  chain  and  diamond 
studs. 

To  this  gentleman  the  manipulator  now  turned,  and  in  a  whin 
ing  voice  asked  him  to  give  him  ten  dollars  to  pay  his  passage. 

"Not  a  cent!"  replied  that  gentleman,  coolly,  not  in  the 
slightest  degree  moved  by  this  pathetic  appeal.  "  I'm  not  giv 
ing  anything  away  to-night." 


443  AVAXDERLtfGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

"Then  I'm  darned  if  I  work  fur  ennybody  fur  nuthins,"  re 
torted  his  worthy  petitioner,  gathering  up  his  cards. 

"  Go  on  !  Throw  the  cards,  an'  if  I  win  this  'ere  bet  I'll  pay 
yer  passage,"  shouted  the  capper  who  had  proposed  to  go  a 
hundred  against  the  well-dressed  gentleman. 

"  And  I'll  give  you  all  the  liquor  you  want  to  drink,"  chimed 
in  the  well -dressed  party;  "  and  by  the  way,  I'll  treat  the  crowd 
now,"  he  added.  "Here,  bar-keeper,  come  and  see  what  these 
gentlemen  want." 

The  attentive  vender  of  alcoholics  was  immediately  on  hand, 
and  several  of  the  bystanders  drank  at  the  expense  of  the  gen 
tleman  with  the  jewelry,  not  forgetting  at  the  same  time  to  drink 
to  his  success. 

"I  never  drinks,"  whined  the  sanctimonious  card- thrower  in 
a  voice  of  a  dolorous  pitch,  when  pressed  to  do  so  by  the  gen 
erous  winner.  "An'  I  think  it's  real  mean  an'  stingy  of  yer  not 
ter  give  me  a  trifle  fer  my  trouble." 

"Well,  if  I  give  to  anybody  I'll  remember  you  first,"  was  the 
answer  he  received. 

The  manipulator  having  again  shuffled  up  his  cards,  spread 
them  on  the  table,  when  there  appeared  upon  the  back  of  one 
of  them  a  little  dark  speck,  scarcely  larger  than  a  small  pin- 
head. 

"Here's  my  hundred!"  cried  the  capper,  flinging  a  roll  of 
bills  upon  the  table. 

The  party  with  the  jewelry  opened  out  the  roll,  and  having 
found  it  quite  correct,  placed  on  it  the  five  double  eagles,  and 
addressing  his  opponent,  said,  "Pick  out  the  king  o'  hearts  and 
it's  all  yourn,  stranger."  The  capper  reached  over  and  turned 
over  a  trois,  and  the  derisive  laughter  of  the  bystanders  made  • 
the  boat  ring  again,  and  again  the  well-dressed  party  raked 
down  the  money. 

Up  to  this  time  none  of  the  suckers  had  bitten  at  the  bait, 
though  it  seemed  mighty  tempting  to  some  of  them,  and  all  ap 
peared  to  be  enjoying  the  sport  hugely.  Some  of  them,  as  the 
cards  were  turned  over  by  the  losers,  expressed  to  each  other 
their  convictions  that  they  could  have  knocked  the  centre  out 
of  the  winning  card  without  fail.  Among  these  latter  was  a 
short,  thick-set  fellow  of  nervous,  restless  temperament,  by  pro 
fession  a  hog-drover,  and  from  Southern  Kentucky.  He  had 


THE  HOG-DROVEK.  449 

brought  on  board  at  Southland  a  large  number  of  the  porcine 
tribe,  who  were  at  present  accommodated  on  the  lower  deck  of  • 
the  steamer,  and  with  which  he  was  on  his  way  to  the  New  Or 
leans  market.  He  did  not  seem  to  relish  the  clumsy  way  in 
which  the  cappers  repeatedly  turned  over  the  wrong  card,  when 
it  seemed  perfectly  easy  to  him  to  pick  out  the  winner.  He 
even  went  so  far  as  to  admonish  the  second  capper,  when  hia 
hand  was  on  the  trois,  that  that  was  not  the  right  card,  for 
which  liberty  he  was  politely  admonished  by  he  of  the  jewelry, 
who  begged  him  remember  that  he  was  not  hazarding  hia 
money  on  the  united  opinions  of  two  persons.  The  drover  did 
not  seem  to  relish  the  reprimand  much,  but  held  his  peace, 
nevertheless.  To  this  individual  the  tall  capper  immediately 
froze.  His  lips  were  constantly  in  the  closest  possible  proximity 
to  his  ear,  where  they  kept  up  a  constant  buzzing,  and  no 
sooner  were  fresh  cards  produced  than  his  eye  lighted  on  the 
black  speck  on  the  winner.  Such  a  discovery  his  unselfish 
nature  would  not  permit  himself  alone  to  monopolize;  he  at 
once  imparted  the  discovery  to  the  drover.  The  manipulator, 
throwing  his  cards  face  upwards  on  the  table,  in  order  that  all 
may  see  their  faces,  the  astute  capper  makes  the  astonishing 
discovery  that  the  card  whose  back  bears  the  black  speck  is  the 
king  of  hearts,  the  winning  card,  and  he  secretly  calls  the  at 
tention  of  his  friend  to  the  coincidence.  The  eyes  of  the  hog- 
man  began  to  expand,  his  body  became  more  restless  than  ever, 
and  had  it  not  been  for  the  restraining  hand  of  the  capper,  it  is 
hard  to  tell  what  he  might  not  have  done,  or  how  far  his  indis 
cretion  would  have  led  him.'  He  had  already  warned  the  cap 
per  that  he  was  about  to  turn  over  the  wrong  paper,  and  been 
admonished  by  the  jeweled  gentleman  as  I  have  related,  when 
he  was  pulled  aside  by  the  tall  capper,  who  gave  him  a  good 
buzzing.  On  the  return  of  the  pair  to  the  table,  the  manipula 
tor  was  stirring  about  his  " papers,"  and  crying,  "Two  trois  and 
a  king,  gentlemen;  the  king  is  the  winning  keard,  gentlemen; 
make  yer  bets,"  etc. 

"Two  hundred  dollars!"  said  the  capper  who  had  lost  the 
preceding  bet,  throwing  upon  the  table  a  roll  of  bills. 

"I'll  bet  a  hundred  on  yer,"  exclaimed  the  little  gentleman 
with  his  hands  in  his  breeches  pockets,  hastily  withdrawing  one 
with  n>e  more  double  engles,  which  he  threw  upon  the  table 
and  immediately  returned  his  hand  to  its  former  place. 


450  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

"Who's  to  pick  out  the  card?"  inquired  the  fashionably- 
dressed  worthy. 

"I'm  a  bettin'  on  that  man's  pick,"  rejoined  the  small  man, 
pointing  to  he  who  had  thrown  down  the  roll  of  bills. 

"All  taken,"  was  the  laconic  reply  of  the  well-dressed  gentle 
man,  laying  down  three  hundred  dollars. 

"Well,  can't  I  bet  a  hundred,  too,  on  my  own  pick?"  demand 
ed  the  tall  capper. 

"As  much  as  you  want,'1  was  the  reply  of  the  man  of  dia 
monds. 

The  tall  capper  now  threw  on  the  table  a  hundred  dollar  bill, 
and  without  heeding  the  hog-drover,  who  was  plucking  him  by 
the  sleeve  in  an  excited  manner,  for  the  purpose  of  bespeaking 
his  attention  to  some  communication  he  desired  to  make,  said, 
laying  his  hand  on  the  marked  card,  "This  goes  for  my  money." 

"All  right,"  replied  the  party  taking  the  bets.  "What  card  do 
you  choose  ? "  he  inquired,  turning  to  the  other  gentleman ;  the 
person  addressed  reached  over  and  put  his  hand  on  what  proved 
to  be  a  trois. 

"Turn  them  over,  gentlemen,"  drawled  he  of  the  diamond 
studs,  lazily.  Both  cards  were  turned  over  at  the  same  instant. 
The  tall  capper  picked  up  his  two  hundred,  and  said,  with  a 
laugh,  "I'm  quite  a  lunatic  at  this  game." 

The  gentleman  who  was  the  loser  of  the  two  hundred  bore  it 
with  the  utmost  nonchalance ;  but  not  the  diminutive  gentleman. 
He  could  no  longer  restrain  his  passion.  As  soon  as  he  saw  the 
man  upon  whom  he  had  bet  turn  over  a  trois,  he  brought  his 
fist  down  on  the  table  with  a  force  which  made  everything  ring 
again,  crying  out,  "D — n  the  infernal  thieving  game;  no  gentle 
man  oughter  play  at  it  unless  he  wants  ter  lose  his  money  and 
be  swindled. 

"Didn't  I  tell  yer  'twas  a  thievin' game?  But  yer  wouldn't 
b'leeve  me,"  exclaimed  the  manipulator. 

"I  wish  you  was  in  h — 1  with  it,  before  you  ever  brought  it 
here,"  roared  the  exasperated  little  man. 

"Gentlemen  who  cannot  afford  to  lose  oughn't  to  play,"  said 
the  capper  who  had  lost  two  hundred.  "Mix  yer  cards  ag'in, 
ole  feller,"  he  continued,  addressing  the  manipulator  at  the 
table,  "an'  I'll  make  another  flyer."  That  person  did  as  re 
quested. 


THE  HOG-DEOVEE.  451 

The  tall  capper  and  the  hog-man  here  appeared  to  have  a 
little  "unpleasantness,"  the  latter  feeling  somewhat  aggrieved 
that  he  had  not  had  a  chance  offered  to  bet  in  with  the  other 
when  he  won  the  hundred  dollars. 

"Why  didn't  yer  say  so  at  the  start,  an'  I'd  a'  let  yer  in  with 
it  in  a  minute,"  the  tall  capper  would  say. 

"I  tried  ter  speak  ter  yer,  but  yer  wouldn't  hear  me,"  the 
hog-fancier  would  reply.  He  was,  however,  soon  pacified  by  his 
lengthy  friend,  who  took  him  one  side  and  held  a  short  consult 
ation  with  him,  when  both  returned  in  great  anxiety  to  the 
table,  where  the  manipulator  was  again  laying  out  his  cards. 

"Shuffle  'em  again,  Mister,"  cried  the  tall  capper.  The  man 
complied  with  his  request,  and  then  tossed  the  cards  face  up 
wards  upon  the  table,  saying  (at  the  same  time  pointing  at  the 
king  of  hearts),  "  That's  the  winning  card.  Kemember,  gentle 
men,"  he  would  repeat,  as  he  turned  it  about  in  his  fingers,  in 
order  that  the  victim  might  see  distinctly  that  the  card  with  the 
black  speck  was  the  king  of  hearts.  Having  mixed  them  to  his 
satisfaction,  he  laid  the  three  cards  side  by  side,  crying,  "All 
ready,  gentlemen,  make  yer  bets."  There  was  the  round  black 
speck  on  the  back  of  the  king  of  hearts,  as  prominent  to  the  eyes 
of  the  drover  as  a  blazing  star. 

"  Let's  try  'im  with  a  flyer  of  five  hundred,"  said  the  tall  cap 
per  to  his  "gull." 

"  I'm  thar,"  responded  the  drover,  going  to  the  inside  pocket 
of  his  coat,  from  whence  he  produced  a  large  leathern  pocket- 
book  and  took  from  its  contents  $250,  while  the  tall  capper  pro 
duced  $250  more  to  put  with  it. 

"  Size  up  ter  that  if  yer  want  ter  sport !"  said  that  worthy  to 
the  well-dressed  gentleman. 

"It's  your  next  play,"  responded  the  individual  addressed, 
covering  the  money. 

"  Up  with  it,  my  boy!"  said  the  tall  capper,  slapping  the  drover 
on  the  back  with  his  hands.  The  latter  reached  eagerly  forward 
and  raised  the  card  bearing  the  speck,  and  on  turning  it  up  to 
his  astonished  gaze,  its  face  found  it  to  be  the  trois  of  clubs  in 
stead  of  the  confidently  expected  "king  of  hearts." 

"What  the  h — 1  hev  yer  done?"  demanded  tbe  tall  capper; 
"ye've  throwed  me  off!  I  know  all  about  it!" 

The  drover  was  by  far  too  stupefied  to  have  made  him  any  re- 


452  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND, 

ply,  and  made  no  resistance  when  the  tall  capper  led  him  from 
the  crowd  and  walked  out  to  the  guards  of  the  boat. 

Anxious  to  learn  the  next  move,  I  cautiously  followed  the  pre 
cious  pair,  and  overhauled  them  standing  near  one  of  the  chim- 
nies,  and  the  noise  made  by  the  machinery  of  the  boat,  together 
with  the  pitchy  darkness  of  the  night,  enabled  me  to  get  within 
hearing  distance  without  being  observed  by  them.  I  was  just  in 
time  to  hear  the  excited  voice  of  the  hog-drover  asserting,  "  I 
tell  yer  I  warn't  mistaken !  It  was  that  card  had  the  speck  on  't." 

"No!  no!  no!  You  were  so  d — n  skeered  you  didn't  know 
what  yer  were  about/'  said  the  capper,  in  a  cold,  calm  tone. 

"  But  I  tell  yer  I  warn't  mistaken !  Couldn't  be !"  reiterated 
his  friend. 

"You  think  you  warn't,  but  yer  was;  mistaken  enough  ter 
throw  me  off  fur  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  and  it  served  me 
right,  too,  fur  not  turning  over  the  keard  myself." 

"But  I  couldn't  be  mistaken,"  persisted  the  drover. 

"Oh,  yer  made  a  bungle  of  it,  that's  what's  the  matter;  but  it's 
no  use  cryin'  for  the  money.  I'm  goin'  ter  get  mine  back." 

"  But  how  ?" 

"Ef  you  dusn't  want  nothin'  ter  du  with  it  I'll  take  it  all 
myself;  but  if  yer'll  du  what  I  want,  we'll  make  all  the  money 
we  want  in  there." 

"  How  ?"  again  queried  his  friend. 

"I  guess p'r'aps  you  don't  want  nuthin'  ter  du  with  it;  so  I'll 
jest  go  it  alone,"  said  the  capper,  raising  his  voice  to  a  higher 
pitch  than  usual. 

"I'm  yer  man!  Go  in!  I'm  with  yer!"  exclaimed  the  drover, 
excitedly. 

"I'm  afeard  if  I  trust  you  you'll  make  another  bungle  on  't, 
though  I  don't  see  how  you  can  do  it,  very  well." 

"  Bet  yer  life  I  won't  make  no  more  mistakes." 

"  Well  then,  you  do  as  I  tell  yer,  an'  we'll  break  that  feller  in 
there,  cos  he'll  lose  every  dollar,  an'  them  dimous  too,  ef  we  kin 
beat  'im." 

"  Go  in!  I'm  with  yer!"  reiterated  the  bold  hog-man. 

"  Well,  that's  settled,  now  to  business.  That  there  feller  that 
throws  ther  cards  allcrs  lifts  'em  high  up  frum  the  table  when  he 
gives  'em  the  last  shuffle.  I  noticed  it  two  or  three  times,  an' 
come  near  gettin'  behind  'im  on  purpose,  but  I'm  too  big  fur  such 


THE  HOG-UROVEK.  453 

kinder  work,  an'  they'd  catch  me  at  it,  and  that  'd  spoil  every 
thing.  Now  you're  jest  the  right  size  to  work  that  way,  an' 
while  you're  squattin'  down  ter  get  a  peep,  I'll  talk  ter  them 
fellers  across  the'  table,  and  keep  their  attention  off  you.  Dy'e 
think  yer  can  keep  cool  enough  ter  work  this  business  ?" 

"  Bet  yer  life  on  't !"  replied  the  man  of  hogs,  enthusiastically. 

"Ef  yer  du  we'll  slaughter  that  feller  right  there!  I'll  break 
'im  the  minute  yer  give  me  the  sign." 

"  I'll  give  it  ter  yer  all  right,  jest  as  true  as  ye  sees  them  there 
trees  on  that  bank  !"  said  the  redoubtable  hog-fancier,  waving 
his  hands  towards  the  vegetable  matter  in  question. 

"  Then  you  go  right  in  now,  an'  I'll  come  directly.  We  mustn't 
give  them  fellers  a  chance  to  suspect  anything." 

The  table  was  still  surrounded,  and  the  cappers  were  keeping 
up  a  lively  betting  among  themselves  when  I  returned  to  the 
saloon.  The  operator  had  changed  his  cards  for  fresh  ones, 
and  was  now  manipulating  two  black  fives  and  a  Jack  of  dia 
monds  ;  not  a  speck  was  to  be  seen  on  their  backs.  The  drover 
took  up  his  position  behind  the  card-thrower,  who  was  throwing 
his  "papers"  lively  now,  and  singing  out  briskly,  "There  kin  be 
no  mistake,  gentlemen ;  there's  two  black  fives  and  the  Jack  of 
diamonds;  ef  you  lift  it,  gentlemen,  you'll  win.  A  red  Jack!  The 
Jack  o'  diments.  gentlemen,  remember  that!  Here  we  go  fur  the 
last  time!  Keep  yer  eyes  on  the  keards,  gentlemen.  All  said!  " 
At  the  close  of  this  preamble,  he  moved  his  cards  very  slowly, 
and  lifted  them  four  or  five  inches  above  the  table,  so  that  the 
stooping  hog-drover  had  no  difficulty  in  seeing  the  faces  of  all  of 
them,  more  especially  the  Jack  of  diamonds,  which  he  followed 
with  his  eye  until  he  saw  it  placed  between  the  two  other  cards. 
There  it  was,  as  surely  as  his  own  hogs  were  grunting  on  the 
deck  below.  As  he  arose  from  his  stooping  position,  his 
•weather-beaten  face  was  blanched  to  a  deadly  pallor.  He  turned 
it  toward  the  tall  capper,  who  was  attentively  watching  him, 
and  made  a  significant  sign,  as  much  as  to  say,  "All  right."  "I'll 
go  you  five  hundred  dollars  this  time,"  bawled  out  that  worthy 
to  the  well-dressed  man,  who  was  at  that  instant  deeply  im 
mersed  in  calculating  the  amount  of  money  before  him,  and  took 
no  heed  of  the  offer. 

"Say,  mister,  dy'e  hear?  I'll  go  yer  five  hundred  dollars," 
repeated  the  tall  capper. 


454  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

"I  shan't  bet  any  more  to  night,"  was  the  reply  of  that  gen 
tleman,  who  now  gathered  up  his  money  and  appeared  to  be 
about  to  leave  the  table. 

"Oh,  give  us  a  chance — you're  winner  of  us!"  said  the  tall  cap 
per,  in  a  half-imploring  manner. 

"What  I've  won  is  mine,  and  I've  a  right  to  do  as  I  please 
with  it,"  replied  the  person  thus  appealed  to,  putting  his  money 
in  his' pocket  and  turning  away  from  the  table. 

"Why,  in  course  it's  yourn,  d — n  it!  Who  don't  know  that? 
But  give  a  feller  a  chance,  won't  yer?  Don't  git  skeered  'cause 
yer've  won  a  few  dollars." 

This  was  too  much  for  the  fashionably-dressed  worthy. 
"Scared!  scared!"  he  repeated.  "That's  a  nice  way  to  talk  to  a 
man  because  he's  won  yer  money.  There's  twelve  hundred  dol 
lars  that  says  yer  can't  pick  up  the  Jack!"  he  exclaimed,  pulling 
from  his  pockets  the  gold  and  roll  of  bank-notes,  and  throwing 
them  upon  the  table. 

"I  ain't  got  that  much  money,"  said  the  tall  capper,  "but  I'll 
go  yer  five  hundred.  Come,  what  d'yer  say?" 

"No,  sir,  I'm  too  'scared'  to  bet  less  than  twelve  hundred;  so 
put  up  or  shut  up." 

"  How  much  money  hev  yer  got?"  inquired  the  tall  capper,  in 
an  undertone,  of  his  friend  the  drover.  The  latter  again  con 
sulted  his  large  leathern  pocket-book,  and  drew  forth  from  its 
recesses  three  hundred  dollars  more,  which  he  handed  to  his 
friend. 

"Here's  eight  hundred  dollars;  we'll  go  yer  that,  Mister,"  said 
the  tall  capper,  flinging  upon  the  table  the  five  hundred  dollars 
he  held  in  his  hand  and  the  three  hundred  given  him  by  his 
friend. 

"Twelve hundred  dollars  goes,  not  a  cent  less!"  was  the  inex 
orable  reply. 

"Seeefyer  ain't  got  some  more  money,"  whispered  the  tall 
capper  to  his  dupe.  Again  the  drover  drew  forth  the  volumin 
ous  pocket-book,  and  prospected  its  interior,  amid  the  hushed 
voices  of  the  ring  of  spectators,  who  were  now  wrought  up  to 
the  highest  pitch  of  excitement.  He  produced  from  thence  two 
hundred  dollars  more,  which  he  handed  his  tempter,  saying, 
"That's  wiped  her  out  clean  as  a  rifle." 

"Pll  go  a  hundred  ef  eunybuddy  else  '11  go  t'other,"  cried  the 


THE   HOG-DROVER.  455 

diminutive  capper,  producing  from  his  breeches  pockets  five 
twenties  in  gold,  and  laying  them  on  the  table. 

"Well,  it's  worth  a  hundred  to  see  this  here  bet  come  off," 
chimed  in  another  capper,  throwing  on  the  table  one  hundred 
dollars  in  bank-bills. 

"Now  ye're  ready,  ain't  yer,  Mister?"  asked  the  tall  capper, 
addressing  the  gentleman  who  was  taking  the  wagers. 

"In  a  minute,"  replied  that  worthy,  carefully  counting  and 
covering  the  several  wagers,  at  the  same  time  taking  care  to 
place  the  money  within  his  easy  reach,  after  which  he  sung  out, 
with  the  greatest  composure,  "The  game  is  made!  Eoll!" 

"Pick  it  up,"  said  the  tall  capper  to  the  man  of  hogs. 

With  a  hand  shivering  like  an  aspen-leaf,  the  drover  placed 
his  hand  irresolutely  upon  the  middle  card.  Light  as  it  was,  it 
seemed  to  be  to  him  like  a  mountain  of  lead.  He  believed  it  to 
be  the  Jack,  as  much  as  he  believed  in  the  fact  of  his  own  exist 
ence — yea,  knew  it !  Had  he  not  distinctly  seen  its  face  as  'twas 
laid  there,  and  no  mortal  hand  had  since  touched  it!  Then  why 
should  he  tremble  so?  Certainly  not  from  any  sense  of  guilt  or 
conviction  that  he  was  committing  a  fraud!  No,  indeed!  that 
was  the  last  thing  to  trouble  him.  ;Twas  an  uuexplainable 
dread  of  losing  the  money  he  had  at  stake.  The  painful  still 
ness  was  at  last  broken!  The  card  lay  face  upwards  on  the 
table.  At  its  sight  he  changed  from  the  semblance  of  a  human 
being  to  that  of  a  lifeless  corpse.  He  stood  perfectly  stupid,  and 
neither  saw  the  few  looks  of  pity  directed  towards  him  by  some 
of  the  passengers,  nor  heard  the  derisive  jeers  and  boisterous 
shouts  of  laughter  with  which  the  crowd  greeted  his  discom 
fiture. 

The  manipulator  hastily  gathered  up  his  cards  and  put  them 
in  his  pocket.  The  game  was  closed.  The  boat  shortly  made 
a  landing  to  take  in  wood,  and  when  we  were  once  more  moving 
down  the  stream,  the  card- thrower  and  his  cappers  had  disap 
peared  from  our  midst. 

This  final  trick  which  caught  the  hog-drover  is  the  last  ruse 
employed  by  the  manipulator  and  his  cappers,  and  is  seldom  re 
sorted  to,  unless  the  boat  on  which  they  are  operating  is  about 
to  make  a  landing.  The  card-thrower  had  concealed  in  his  coat 
pocket  a  five  of  spades.  Just  previous  to  giving  his  last  toss 
to  the  cards,  he  palms  this  five  in  his  left  hand,  and  holding  it 


456  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

there,  moves  the  cards  on  the  table  with  his  right,  lifting 
them  up  so  that  the  dupe  may  plainly  see  their  faces  j  and  hav 
ing  done  this,  his  left  hand  lightly  touches  the  cards,  as  if  ar 
ranging  them  in  their  places.  While  doing  this,  quick  as 
thought,  he  has  palmed  up  the  Jack,  or  winning  card,  and  de 
posited  in  its  place  the  five  of  spades,  or  whatever  card  he  has 
in  his  left  hand.  It's  the  old  tale  of  "the  biter  bit,"  or  diamond 
cut  diamond. 

The  hog  merchant,  who  was  a  fussy,  forward,  and  contradic 
tory  fellow,  found  on  the  steamer  but  few  sympathizers,  as  in 
fact  people  who  lose  their  cash  at  three-card  moute  seldom  do. 
On  the  day  before  we  reached  New  Orleans  I  drew  him  into 
conversation,  with  a  desire  of  ascertaining  his  sentiments  on  the 
subject  of  three  cards. 

At  first  he  did  not  seem  to  be  very  communicative  on  the  sub 
ject;  but  when  I  persisted  in  forcing  the  fact  on  his  notice  that 
the  guesser  had  the  best  of  the  game,  it  finally  aroused  his  ire, 
and  turning  to  me  savagely,  he  demanded,  in  a  sneering  tone, 
"If  them's  your  sentiments,  why  the  h — 1  don't  yer  foller  arter 
that  game  ?  " 

"Because  I'm  not  engaged  in  that  kind  of  business  at  pres 
ent,"  I  mildly  replied. 

"Look  a  here,  stranger,"  he  ejaculated}  "  I'd  like  to  ax  yer  a 
question." 

"You  can  do  so,  with  pleasure,"  I  rejoined. 

"  S'pose,  then,  I  had  three  state-rooms  in  that  there  cabin,  an' 
I  puts  a  nigger  inter  one  and  two  white  men  inter  t'other  tew, 
without  yer  seein'  me  dew  it,  mind,  would  yer  go  yer  money  on  't 
yer  could  pick  out  the  room  where  ther  nigger  was  ?  " 

"Well,"  I  replied,  drawling  out  my  words  and  looking  him 
straight  in  the  eye,  "if  the  day  was  hot,  and  my  nose  was  in 
good  order,  and  I  had  the  privilege  of  smelling  at  the  door  of 
each  state-room  as  long  as  you  were  peeping  under  that  fellow's 
cards  the  other  night,  I  don't  think  Icould  make  a  worse  blunder 
in  finding  the  room  containing  the  nigger,  than  you  did  in  find 
ing  that  Jack  of  diamonds." 

His  face  reddened  up  instantly.  He  evidently  thought  no  one 
on  board  was  aware  of  his  little  game.  "  You  were  watching  me, 
then  ?  "  he  said,  with  a  forced  laugh. 

"Yes,  indeed !  and  it  didn't  look  exactly  the  clean  thing  in  you. 


THE   HOG -DROVER.  457 

to  take  advantage  of  a  party  of  gentlemen  in  that  underhand 
manner ! " 

"  Gentlemen,  h— 1 !  They're  nothing  but  a  pack  o'  thieves  ! " 
he  retorted,  fiercely. 

"  But  how  came  you  to  make  such  a  mistake  ?  Didn't  you  see 
the  Jack  of  diamonds  when  you  stooped  down  ?  " 

"Yes!"  he  answered,  emphatically,  "and  the  other  two  fives, 
as  plain  es  I  see  you  now." 

"  I  see !  I  see ! "  I  said.  "  You  got  frightened  and  picked  up  the 
wrong  card.  Well,  I  don't  much  wonder  at  it,"  I  resumed;  "  it's 
but  natural  for  one  to  be  thrown  off  his  feet  when  he  feels 
he's  doing  a  dishonest  action." 

The  fury  of  hell  was  depicted  upon  his  scowling  countenance, 
on  which  symptoms  of  danger  to  myself  were  plainly  depicted,- 
but  I  continued  in  the  same  cold,  calm  tone,  without  noticing 
the  change  in  his  features:  "  I  should  have  turned  up  those  two 
other  cards  to  find  out  whether  the  Jack  of  diamonds  was  among 
them  at  all." 

"Look  here,  stranger,  what  air  ye  drivin' at?  Don't  I  tell 
yer  I  seen  all  the  keards  ?  Yer  don't  think  I'm  such  a  fool  I 
can't  see,  do  yer?" 

"Don't  fly  into  a  passion,  my  dear  sir;  we're  all  liable  to  be 
fooled  sometimes.  Now  you  picked  up  what  you  thought  was 
the  Jack  of  diamonds,  because  you  plainly  saw  the  face  of  the 
card  when  that  fellow  was  so  accommodating  as  to  hold  it  up  on 
purpose  that  you  should  see  it.  You  watched  him  lay  the  card 
down  on  the  table,  and  knew  where  it  was  laid  exactly,  and  was 
satisfied  to  bet  on  that  information  several  hundred  dollars.  Is 
that  so?"  He  nodded  assent.  "Well,  then,"  I  continued,  "you 
picked  up  the  card,  and  it  was  not  the  Jack  of  diamonds,  eh?" 

"What  then?"  he  calmly  asked. 

"Oh,  nothing!  only  if  you'd  turned  over  the  other  two  cards 
you'd  have  known  whether  the  Jack  of  diamonds  was  among 
them,  on  the  table,  or  in  the  pocket  of  that  fellow  who  was 
throwing  the  cards,  that's  all ! " 

He  gazed  at  me  for  a  moment  in  speechless  astonishment,  as 
if  a  sudden  flash  of  light  had  revealed  to  his  brain  a  hidden  mys 
tery,  and  finally  stammered  out,  "  Stranger,  I  allers  suspected 
there  was  sumthin'  dark  about  that  there  Jack  o'  diminds ! 
Them  fellers  robbed  me,  sure  !  Didn't  they,  now?" 


458  WANDERINGS  OF  A   VAGABOND. 

"  I  dent  know,  perhaps  so,"  I  assented. 

"Who  was  that  there  feller  't  thro  wed  them  keards  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  I  replied.     "  I  never  saw  him  before." 

"D'ye  think  he  was  consarned  with  them  other  fellers,  now?" 

"They  all  left  the  boat  at  the  wood-pile,"  was  my  reply. 

"They  robbed  me,  sartain  sure.  I  sees  it  all  now  !  Let  me 
clap  my  eye  on  one  o'  'em  again,"  he  ejaculated,  shaking  his 
head  and  gritting  his  teeth. 

"Why,  what  will  you  do  to  them?" 

"I'll  make  'em  wish  they'd  never  seed  me,  nor  yet  my  money/' 
he  replied,  with  a  terrible  oath. 

"You'd much  better  leave  them  alone,"  I  replied.  "Every 
one  of  them  had  revolvers  or  bowie-knives  buckled  about  their 
persons,  and  it  is  nothing  but  fun  for  them  to  put  a  hole  in  a 
man." 

"I'll  make  'em  eat  their  pistols  and  bowie-knives  ef  I  gets  my 
claws  on  'em,"  he  exclaimed,  casting  on  me  a  threatening  look, 
with  which  threat  he  separated  himself  from  me,  and  never  again 
noticed  me  either  by  word  or  look,  while  on  the  steamer  together. 


CHAPTER    XXXVII. 

MOBILE. 

A  very  short  sojourn  in  New  Orleans  convinced  me  that  it  was 
no  place  of  residence  for  a  professional  gambler,  unless  he  were 
a  native-born  Creole,  and  lived  in  the  first  municipality,  and 
even  then  it  was  requisite,  in  order  to  be  able  to  run  a  gambling- 
room  on  the  sly,  that  one  should  have  sufficient  political  influ 
ence  to  protect  him  from  police  intrusion.  Besides  this  danger, 
he  was  in  constant  peril  from  the  swarm  of  informers  prowling 
around  in  various  disguises,  ready  to  make  five  hundred  dollars 
by  causing  the  conviction  of  any  gambler  whom  they  could  de 
tect  dealing  a  banking-game ;  the  said  amount  being  one  moiety 
of  the  sum  of  which  any  person  guilty  of  such  an  enormity  was 
mulcted  on  his  first  offense.  He  who  had  the  temerity  to  repeat 
the  action  was  obliged  to  disburse  five  thousand  dollars,  and  if 
he  still  hankered  after  "tigers"  and  kindred  devices  of  the  ad- 


MOBILE.  439 

versary,  lie  was  accommodated  with  a  domicile  at  the  expense 
of  the  State,  for  a  period  of  two  years,  which  was  supposed  to  be 
a  sovereign  cure  for  such  hallucinations.  Under  this  law,  princi 
pals  and  their  players  were  equally  liable. 

No  person  of  sane  mind,  having  the  slightest  respect  for  his 
money  or  his  person,  would  dream  of  opening  a  banking-game 
of  any  kind  in  the  American  quarter  of  the  city.  Gamblers 
living  in  the  place  had  two  or  three  rooms  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
St.  Charles  Hotel,  where  the  votaries  of  chance  met,  to  amuse 
themselves  at  the  green  tables  with  short  games,  such  not  being 
proscribed  by  law. 

Snaps  of  faro  were  sometimes  opened  at  these  meetings;  the 
members  being  assured  that  no  "black  sheep"  were  present. 
Even  then  the  greatest  precaution  was  exercised,  and  every 
person  present  was  obliged  to  make  a  bet  at  the  game,  even 
should  his  stake  be  only  a  picayaune,  in  order  that  no  member 
of  the  company  might  be  dragged  to  court,  and  there  compelled 
to  assist  in  the  conviction  of  his  neighbor.  Precautions  of  this 
kind  were  not  always  a  safeguard,  however;  the  five  hundred 
dollar  bribe  was  very  tempting,  and  caused  many  to  turn  inform 
er;  while  the  police  had  constantly  their  spies  upon  the  trail, 
who  were  no  respecters  of  persons,  nor*of  doors  either,  when 
ever  they  suspected  a  banking-game  of  any  sort  to  be  going 
forward.  Many  faro-dealing  gamblers  were,  through  the  agen 
cy  of  spies,  seized,  with  their  players,  by  the  officers  of  the  law, 
and  dragged  before  the  courts,  where  they  were  compelled  to 
pay  over  one  thousand  dollars  each,  before  they  could  get  releas 
ed  from  "durance  vile."  Several  persons,  unable  to  raise  this 
amount,  were  rusticating  in  the  parish  prison,  where  they  were 
doomed  to  remain  one  year,  to  expiate  their  crimes,  if  they  were 
unable  "to  raise  the  wind." 

The  glowing  description  which  was  given  me,  of  the  gambling 
facilities  of  Mobile,  and  the  immense  amount  of  money  in  circu 
lation  in  that  city,  induced  me  to  take  a  lake-boat  and  visit  that 
place. 

With  the  exception  of  New  Orleans  and  Havana,  there  was  no 
commercial  mart  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  as  thriving  as  Mobile, 
when  I  first  visited  the  place,  and  I  doubt  if  there  could  have 
been  found  on  the  face  of  the  globe,  a  place  with  even  five  times 
its  population,  where  crime,  debauchery,  and  lawlessness  of 


460  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

every  description,  reigned  rampant  to  such  a  fearful  extent. 
The  local  population  numbered  about  thirty  thousand  souls,  of 
whom  more  than  half  were  negroes.  lu  addition  to  these  it 
had,  every  winter,  a  transient  population  of  about  the  same  num 
ber,  consisting  of  strangers,  merchants  from  the  interior  of  the 
country,  foreign  merchants,  sailors  'longshoremen,  and  steam 
boat-men,  from  Pittsburgh,  Cincinnati  and  Louisville,  who  were 
engaged  in  bringing  cotton  and  other  produce  from  the  interior 
of  the  State  by  the  several  navigable  streams  which  empty  into 
Mobile  Bay,  to  the  city. 

In  the  winter  season  the  place  supported  two  theatres,  one  of 
which  was  under  the  direction  of  Smith  &  Ludlow,  and  the 
drama  was  there  as  well  represented  as  in  any  of  the  theatres 
of  our  Atlantic  cities.  The  godly  were  in  force,  too,  in  Mobile, 
if  one  might  venture  to  judge  from  the  numerous  handsome 
churches  which  adorned  the  place.  The  harbor  was  a  busy 
scene  of  commerce  and  action,  crowded  with  vessels  and  ships 
of  every  possible  description,  while  from  their  masts  floated  the 
flags  of  nearly  every  nation  on  earth.  Lying  at  the  wharves, 
either  loading  or  unloading,  crowded  with  cotton  and  other  mer 
chandise,  were  scores  of  river  steamers,  lake  steamers,  coasting 
vessels,  and  various  sgrts  of  smaller  water-craft. 

The  stranger  could  see  without  difficulty,  even  on  his  first  visit 
to  the  place,  that  the  godless  were  there  greatly  in  the  ascen 
dency.  In  nearly  every  single  building  along  the  street  facing  the 
river,  and  also  in  many  of  those  in  the  streets  leading  down  to 
the  river,  could  be  found  a  liquor-shop  of  one  kind  or  another. 
In  many  of  these  places  were  played  heavy  percentage  games, 
like  chuck,  rondo,  craps,  and  similar  institutions,  plainly  expos 
ed  to  the  public  view.  Located  centrally  in  the  city,  and  in  its 
most  business  part,  was  a  block  of  brick  buildings,  called  the 
"Shakespeare's  Row."  It  was  built  somewhat  in  the  Spanish 
style,  having  on  the  inside  a  large  court-yard,  which  was  en 
tered  by  two  arched  gateways  from  the  opposite  streets.  This 
court-yard  contained  twenty-eight  rooms.  Those  on  the  second 
and  third  stories  were  surrounded  with  an,  enclosed  piazza, 
•which  ran  around  the  four  sides  of  the  building,  and  which  were 
reached  from  the  court-yard  by  different  stairways.  Every  one 
of  these  rooms  was  occupied  for  gambling  purposes,  the  only 
banking-games  played  there  being  roulette  and  faro,  and  only 


MOBILE.  461 

persons  of  gentlemanly  exterior  being  allowed  there,  and  the 
unclean  and  disorderly  excluded  without  remorse.  The  gamb 
ling  was  conducted  by  the  better  class  of  gamblers,  with  the 
utmost  fairness,  even  a  heavy  percentage  game  not  being  tolera 
ted  in  the  rooms.  The  faro-banks  dealt  in  the  different  rooms 
had  different  limits,  but  they  usually  ranged  from  twelve  dollars 
and  a  half,  and  fifty,  to  that  of  one  hundred  with  a  paroli  to  eight 
hundred.  The  roulette-wheels  were  usually  limited  proportion- 
ably  to  the  faro  games — the  largest  given  being  twenty-five 
dollars  on  a  bar  or  single  figure,  and  seven  hundred  dollars  oil 
the  colors,  each  person  betting  having  the  privilege  of  wager 
ing  the  amount  mentioned,  at  pleasure. 

While  those  portions. of  the  Shakesperian  row  which  faced  on 
either  street  were  occupied  by  mercantile  offices,  banks,  jewel 
ry  stores,  tailoring  establishments,  money  brokers,  coffee-houses, 
billiard  saloons,  and  restaurants,  its  court-yard  was  one  vast 
gambling-hell,  the  resort,  of  evenings,  of  persons  moving  in  the 
different  upper  walks  of  life;  and  from  early  candle-light  till  the 
break  of  day,  the  rattling  of  faro-checks  and  the  spinning  of 
roulette- wheels  could  be  heard  without  cessation.  Besides  the 
many  in  the  Shakespeare  row,  there  were  scattered  about  the 
city  several  other  gambling-rooms,  a  few  of  them  being  of  the 
more  respectable  class,  but  the  greater  number  of  the  lowest 
possible  order,  located,  as  I  said  before,  in  low  drinking-houses, 
where  only  heavy  percentage  games  were  played,  and  to  which 
all  classes,  with  the  single  exception  of  the  negroes,  were 
privileged  to  contribute  their  support.  Still,  beyond  the  heavy 
percentage  attached  to  these  games,  " chuck"  having  about 
seventeen  per  cent,  in  its  favor,  those  playing  at  them  had  a  fair 
show  for  their  money,  as  the  arts  of  the  sharper  had  not  then 
begun  to  be  practiced  in  the  public  gambling-houses  of  this 
country.  I  counted  at  one  time,  in  the  city  of  Mobile,  forty-four 
faro  games  and  thirty-seven  roulette-wheels,  most  of  which  did 
a  flourishing  business,  as  did  also  the  heavy  percentage  games. 
Brandon  bank-notes,  and  those  of  other  wild-cat  banks,  were 
plentiful  there  as  hops  in  Kent, -and  most  of  them  were  at  that 
time  going  at  par. 

In  the  suburbs  of  the  city  were  several  dance-houses  of  the 
lowest  order,  where  lawlessness,  indecency,  and  debauchery  reign 
ed  supreme.  Here  thieves  of  both  sexes  assembled  to  prey  upon 


462  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

the  unwary.  Lewd  women  with  their  more  degraded  associates 
drove  decency  to  cover  with  their  abandoned  talk  and  gestures. 
Boatmen,  'longshoremen,  and  sailors,  spent  among  these  aban 
doned  harlots  their  hard  earnings,  and  drank  the  poisonous 
fluids  which  maddened  tbeir  brains,  and  made  them,  but  too 
often,  commit  deeds  of  blood  and  violence.  No  police  force  dared 
intrude  their  unwelcome  presence  on  the  orgies  carried  on  in 
those  vile  dens;  and  the  peaceable  and  timid  avoided  their 
vicinity  as  they  would  have  done  that  of  a  pest-house. 

From  dark  to  dawn,  lawlessness  stalked  abroad  rampant  in 
Mobile.  Gangs  of  drunken  boatmen,  sailors,  and  reckless  ad 
venturers,  staggered  through  the  streets,  making  night  hideous 
with  obscene  songs  and  loud  oaths,  hunting  for  the  next  dram 
shop  or  a  fight,  both  of  which  were  conveniently  on  hand.  The 
imbecile  police  were  utterly  powerless,  and  could  not  in  the  least 
prevent  the  full-deck  fights  which  were  constantly  going  forward, 
but  were  compelled  to  stand  calmly  by  until  the  combatants 
had  pummeled  one  another  to  their  heart's  satisfaction,  before 
peace  could  be  in  any  degree  restored.  Every  person,  nearly, 
secretly  carried  weapons  upon  their  persons,  which  they  used 
upon  the  smallest  provocation,  and  sometimes  with  none  at  all; 
and  even  sailors,  'longshoremen,  and  boat-hands,  whipped  out 
their  sheath-knives  and  slashed  away  at  each  other,  whenever 
the  force  of  anger  or  alcohol  prevailed  over  reason.  Nor  did  the 
lower  class  monopolize  the  vices  and  crimes  afflicting  the  peace. 
Duels,  street-fights,  and  cowardly  assassinations,  were  ordinary 
pastimes  among  the  rich  and  influential.  The  seduction  of  a 
wife,  followed  by  the  cold-blooded  assassination  of  the  seducer 
at  the  hands  of  the  husband,  or  shooting  a  man  immediately 
down  for  disputing  the  veracity  of  the  slayer,  were  trivial  mat 
ters  which  scarcely  called  for  a  passing  notice,  while  forgeries 
and  embezzlements  were  but  venial  offenses  which  were  quickly 
whitewashed  over.  It  was  well  for  Mobile  in  those  days  that  a 
divine  Providence  had  ceased  to  destroy  cities  for  the  crimes  and 
vices  of  its  inhabitants,  or  it  would  certainly  have  shared  the 
fate  of  ancient  Sodom  and  Gomorrah. 

Yet,  strange  as  it  may  appear,  Mobile  was  provided  with  those 
necessary  safeguards  of  life  and  property,  such  as  laws,  temples 
of  justice,  prisons,  magistrates,  police,  executive  officers,  and  the 
like;  but  these  time-honored  institutions  were  considered  as 


A  "NIGGER  IN  THE  FENCE."  463 

merely  appendages  for  the  adornment  of  the  city,  by  the  free 
and  the  brave,  who  at  that  period  carried  all  before  them. 
Larceny  was  the  only  acknowledged  crime,  and  when  thieves 
were  caught  in  the  act  of  stealing,  or  the  offense  was  clearly 
proven  against  them,  the  courts  were  spared  the  trouble  of  try 
ing  them,  or  the  county  the  expense  of  keeping  them,  by  the 
lynchers,  who  escorted  them  to  the  edge  of  the  piney  woods  in  the 
rear  of  the  town,  and  then  and  there  administered  to  them  as  many 
lashes  as  they  considered  a  commensurate  punishment  for  their 
offense.  Over  murderers  of  all  descriptions  the  courts  held  sole 
jurisdiction;  but  none  except  negroes,  or  those  who  had  shed 
blood  for  purposes  of  plunder,  were  ever  punished,  no  matter 
how  deep  their  guilt  or  how  cowardly  their  deed  of  blood.  But, 
to  the  honor  and  credit  of  Mobile  courts  be  it  said,  they  never 
permitted  one  class  of  criminals  to  escape  the  halter,  whenever 
it  was  possible  to  fasten  upon  them  their  crimes,  and  these  were 
negro  thieves.  Towards  them  the  laws  were  as  severe  and  un 
alterable  as  the  code  of  Draco,  and  even  the  miscreant  who  had 
the  hardihood  to  express  sympathy  for  the  strangled  wretch 
was  fortunate  if  he  escaped  a  similar  fate  at  the  hands  of  the 
lynchers. 


CHAPTER    XXXVIII. 

A  "NIGGER  IN  THE  FENCE." 

The  principal  hotel  in  Mobile  was  the  "  Waverly,"  and  on  the 
same  street,  directly  facing,  was  the  best  coffee-house,  named 
after  the  palace  of  the  great  Frederic  at  Pottsdam.  On  the 
first  floor  above  the  uSans  Soucci"was  a  suite  of  gambling-rooms 
belonging  to  a  firm  of  three  gamblers  named  Kent,  Myers,  and 
Greene,  respectively.  This  firm,  during  the  winter,  had  fallen 
into  bad  luck,  and  had  lost  something  like  $33,000,  which  in 
duced  one  member  to  withdraw  from  it,  having  been  bought  out 
by  his  partners,  Kent  and  Greene. 

This  establishment  was  composed  of  two  large  rooms,  hand 
somely  fitted  up  and  furnished.  In  one  of  these  apartments 
the  banking-games,  consisting  of  faro  and  a  thirty-six  numbered 
roulette-wheel,  were  conducted,  while  the  other  was  used  for 


464  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

short-card  games  and  as  a  general  sitting-room.  On  the  floor 
above  were  two  others,  used  by  Kent  and  Greene  as  sleeping- 
rooms.  I  had  made  these  gambling-rooms  my  place  of  resort 
during  the  winter  and  spring,  and  had  always  been  most  cor 
dially  received  by  these  gentlemen,  and  also  by  Mr.  Myers,  up  to 
the  time  when  he  drew  out  from  the  concern. 
.  Shortly  after  he  left  aud  sold  out  his  interest  to  Kent  and 
Greene,  these  latter  offered  me  an  interest  in  the  bank.  I  was  to 
take  one-third  interest  in  the  game,  bank  my  own  interest,  and 
attend  to  the  conducting  of  the  bank.  The  place  had  the  best 
run  of  custom  of  any  in  the  city.  It  was  patronized  principally 
by  business  men,  and  largely  by  the  higher  class  of  steamboat 
officials.  But  the  season  was  rapidly  drawing  to  a  close,  and  I 
could  hardly  expect  to  have  more  than  a  five  or  six  weeks'  bus 
iness  before  the  scorching  sun  and  the  parched  sands  of  Mobile 
would  drive  from  the  place  every  one  privileged  with  locomotion 
whose  business  would  in  any  manner  permit  them  to  seek  more 
endurable  localities. 

My  senior  partner,  Mr.  Greene,  was  a  strange  specimen  of  the 
"genus  homo."  He  had  risen  to  the  surface  somewhere  among 
the  red  lands  of  Georgia,  and  had  groped  his  way  along  until 
he  finally  reached  Mobile,  some  twenty-five  years  previous  to 
our  meeting,  where,  to  use  his  own  expression,  he  "started  in 
givin'  ther  boys  fairer,  and  had  kept  it  up  ever  since."  He  was 
at  that  time  (that  is,  when  I  first  met  him,)  about  sixty  years  of 
age,  tall,  powerfully  built,  and  active.  He  possessed  a  generous 
disposition,  and  a  credulous  nature,  which  was  frequently  im 
posed  upon,  and  was,  besides,  exceedingly  ignorant  and  super 
stitious.  The  old  fellow  was  very  popular  among  the  play-going 
portion  of  the  community,  aud  whenever  his  game  fell  off  for 
want  of  patrons,  all  the  rest  in  the  city  might  hang  up  the  fiddle. 
The  old  fellow  had  grown-up  sons  and  daughters,  and  owned  a 
small  cotton  plantation  on  the  Tombigbee  River,  on  which  he 
worked  about  forty  slaves.  If,  as  he  was  so  fond  of  boasting, 
he  had  been  giving  the  boys  of  Mobile  "fairer"  for  twenty-five 
years,  he  was  certainly  a  terribly  poor  loser,  but,  on  account  of 
his  losses,  would  never  display  any  signs  of  ill-temper,  his 
motto  being,  "Ef  yer  can't  afford  ter  lose,  yer  oughtn't  ter 
play." 

During  the  winter,  while  his  game  was  being  badly  beaten, 


A  "  NIGGER  IN   THE  FENCE."  465 

the  belief  became  firmly  rooted  in  his  mind  that  his  presence  in 
the  room  was  the  cause  of  this  bad  luck,  and  in  order  to  coun 
teract  this,  he  would  always  leave  the  room  whenever  any  heavy 
play  was  going  forward.  On  these  occasions  he  could  be  found 
pacing  backward  and  forward  like  a  staked  bear  in  front  of  the 
"Sans  Soucci,"  with  bent  body,  and  both  hands  firmly  clasped 
behind  him,  industriously  engaged  in  sprinkling  the  pavement 
copiously  with  tobacco  juice,  which  he  squirted  out  in  all  direc 
tions  as  fast  as  he  could  masticate  the  precious  weed.  Every 
now  and  then  his  eyes  would  be  directed  to  the  stairway  leading 
to  his  room,  and  at  the  appearance  of  a  familiar  lace  he  would 
accost  the  owner  with,  "  How's  ther  cussed  ole  mill  above  grindiu' 
now  ?  "  If  the  answer  was  unfavorable,  he  would  drop  his  eyes 
on  the  pavement  again  and  resume  his  pace,  muttering  to  him 
self.  "There's  a  Jouer  in  that  room,  sure!"  But  should  the  new 
comer  be  the  bearer  of  good  news,  he  would  invite  him  up  to 
the  bar  of  the  "  Sans  Soucci"  to  imbibe. 

The  old  man  consulted  all. the  fortune-tellers  who  hung  out 
their  shingles  in  the  place.  And  whatever  instructions  they 
gave  him  for  his  conduct,  in  order  that  his  ill-fortune  might  be 
reversed,  he  followed  to  the  letter.  But  those  incantations 
which  he  had  paid  so  liberally  for  having  rehearsed,  in  order 
that  this  desirable  consummation  might  be  reached,  had,  up  to 
the  middle  of  the  spring,  the  period  when  I  tied  my  luck  to  his, 
signally  failed  to  have  the  desired  effect.  The  golden  promises 
made  to  him  by  the  diviners  of  a  doubtful  future  had  faded 
away  one  by  one,  like  the  "  baseless  fabric  of  a  vision."  One  of 
his  acquaintances,  a  practical  joker,  being  well  acquainted  with 
the  old  man's  peculiar  weakness,  put  up  a  job  to  amuse  himself 
and  friends  at  the  old  fellow's  expense.  This  jocular  worthy, 
through  the  means  of  bribery,  brought  to  his  assistance  an  old 
crone  who  had  lately  anchored  in  the  city,  and  hung  out  a  shin 
gle  which  informed  the  credulous  public  that  she  was  prepared 
to  give  information  relative  to  the  past,  present,  and  future,  by 
the  scientific  means  of  the  horoscope.  The  vulgar  fortune-tell 
ers  to  whom  Mr.  Greene. had  heretofore  applied  had  only  con 
sulted  cards,  coffee-grounds,  etc.,  and  he  was  now  convinced 
they  had  been  telling  him  falsehoods  the  whole  winter.  His 
mind  was  now  ready  to  receive  a  deeper  course  of  instruction  in 
these  occult  sciences,  and  when  he  learned  of  the  advent  in  the 


466  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

town  of  this  sage  female  of  the  horoscope,  who  could  predict 
future  events  by  the  position  of  the  stars,  he  forthwith  hied 
him  to  her  abode.  The  old  cheat  kept  him  in  suspense,  and  his 
supposed  fate  hanging  in  the  balance,  for  three  days,  while  she 
was  consulting  the  stars  and  planets,  and  for  each  consultation 
extracted  from  him  a  ten-dollar  wild-cat  note.  The  accommo 
dating  heavenly  bodies  finally  divulged  to  her  the  fate  which  in 
the  dim  future  awaited  the  faro-bank  of  Kent,  Myers  &  Greene, 
and  the  power  of  guiding  its  future  destiny  was  placed  unre 
servedly  and  entirely  in  the  hands  of  the  last-named  gentleman. 
Mr.  Greene  was  directed  by  this  lady  to  appear  at  the  race 
track  for  nine  consecutive  mornings.  This  auspicious  spot  was 
situated  some  three  miles  from  the  city,  and  after  he  had  reach 
ed  it,  which  it  was  vital  he  should  do  at  precisely  nine  o'clock,  he 
was  to  start  and  walk  once  around  the  track.  He  was  assured 
by  the  "  wise  woman  "  that,  after  the  faithful  performance  of 
these  labors,  if  he  never  revealed  the  mysterious  divination  to 
any  person  living  in  the  meantime,  his  bank  would  not  only  re 
cover  all  its  losses,  but  would  win,  besides,  $49,000.  Every  morn 
ing  any'  person  who  would  take  the  trouble  to  observe  might 
have  seen  the  old  fellow  in  his  buggy  driving  out  to  the  race 
track,  and  at  precisely  the  appointed  hour  might  also  have  seen 
him  start  on  the  appointed  pilgrimage,  which  for  eight  successive 
mornings  he  did  not  fail  duly  to  accomplish.  The  joke  was  of 
course  too  good  to  keep,  and  it  soon  spread  abroad  from  the  two 
or  three  persons  in  the  secret  at  first,  till  crowds  could  be  seen 
of  a  morning  on  the  road  in  buggies,  carriages,  and  on  horse 
back,  moving  towards  the  race-track  "  to  see  old  Greene  do  his 
work,"  without  that  venerable  gentleman  suspecting  that  he  was 
the  cause  of  these  fashionable  gatherings.  The  night  before  the 
charm  was  appointed  to  be  wound  up,  a  party  of  reprobates  got 
hold  of  the  old  gentleman  and  stuffed  him  so  expansively  with 
champagne  that  he  was  entirely  unable  to  come  to  time  next 
morning,  to  his  immense  disgust  and  mortification,  the  more  so 
that  his  aged  diviner  informed  him  that  now,  having  disobeyed 
the  mandate  of  the  stars,  he  was  no  longer  under  their  protection. 
But  the  joke  having  now  become  public  property,  it  was  not  long 
until  the  old  man  found  out  he  had  been  hoaxed,  and  was  so  en 
raged  at  the  thought  of  having  made  himself  the  laughing-stock 
of  the  crowd,  that  he  seized  his  double-barreled  gun  and  struck 


A  "NIGGER  IN  THE  FENCE."  467 

out  on  the  war-path.  The  "good  joke"  would  probably  have 
turned  out  a  very  serious  affair,  had  not  its  perpetrator  taken  the 
precaution  to  stow  himself  away  out  of  the  reach  of  his  wrath 
ful  foe,  who  for  two  days  constantly  paraded  the  city  in  search 
of  him.  Finally  the  Sheriff  laid  violent  hands  on  the  old  gentle 
man,  and  forced  him  to  give  security  for  his  future  observance  of 
the  peace  and  dignity  of  the  State  in  bonds  of  $5,000. 

My  other  partner  in  this  establishment  was  Mr.  George  Kent, 
a  negro-trader,  and,  like  most  of  his  tribe,  ignorant,  cruel,  un 
couth,  and  overbearing.  He  was  in  person  tall  and  raw-boned, 
with  a  sallow  complexion  and  black  hair  and  whiskers.  He 
dressed  well,  but  plainly,  and  wore  no  jewels  of  any  description. 
He  was  born  and  raised  in  Mobile,  end  started  in  life  upon  no 
other  capital  than  his  own  merits.  According  to  the  statement 
of  Mr.  Greene  he  was  at  one  time  worth  about  $60, 000,  which  he 
had  accumulated  at  negro-trading.  While  in  possession  of  his 
money  he  became  addicted  to  gaming.  For  many  years  he  was 
an  object  for  the  machinations  of  the  sharper  tribe,  who  had 
dogged  his  footsteps  from  one  slave-mart  to  another,  until  finally 
they  had  plucked  him  as  clean  as  a  broiled  snipe.  But,  unlike 
thousands  who  had  been  victimized  in  the  same  manner,  Kent 
learned  to  play  all  games  well,  and  also  to  protect  himself  from 
the  arts  of  the  sharper,  towards  whom  he  entertained  the  bitter 
est  feelings,  to  which  he  frequently  gave  vent  by  declaring,  "  I'll 
kill  enny  thief,  there  and  then,  that  I  ketches  a  cheatin'  me  at 
keards."  Whether  upon  occasion  Mr.  Kent  would  have  carried 
out  this  blood-thirsty  threat,  I  am  quite  unable  to  say ;  but  as 
far  as  I  ever  ascertained,  with  all  his  numerous  vices,  he  had  not 
up  to  that  period  of  his  existence  killed  anybody.  Mr.  Kent  was 
a  fair  general  card-player;  the  game  which  he  played  most  suc 
cessfully  being  brag,  at  which  he  was  at  all  hours  quite  ready 
and  willing  to  amuse  all  comers ;  and  when  I  came  to  the  city 
but  very  few  gamblers  in  Mobile  cared  to  attack  him  at  his  fa 
vorite  game.  Though  burdened  with  a  mean  disposition  and  an 
irritable  temper,  he  lost  his  money  at  play  without  a  whimper. 
He  had  not,  during  the  last  three  years,  dabbled  in  the  slave- 
trade,  but  bad  devoted  his  energies  solely  to  gambling,  and  dur 
ing  that  period  had  been  the  constant  partner  of  Mr.  Greene. 

The  servant  who  waited  on  our  room  was  the  property  of 
Kent.  He  was  a  bright  mulatto,  about  twenty-two  years  of  age, 


468  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

and  exceedingly  intelligent.  According  to  his  own  account  of 
himself  he  was  the  son  of  his  former  master,  at  one  time  a  well- 
to-do  lawyer,  practicing  in  Versailles,  Kentucky.  Whiskey  got 
the  best  of  him,  however,  and  ruined  him  pecuniarily,  and  then 
finished  its  work  by  killing  him.  His  creditors,  after  his  death, 
seized  his  estate,  and  among  the  others  of  its  belongings  sold 
under  the  hammer  were  William  Jones  and  his  mother,  the  for 
mer  becoming  the  property  of  Kent,  who  was  at  the  time  buying 
up  negroes  in  Kentucky  for  the  Mobile  market,  while  the  mother 
was  bought  by  the  keeper  of  a  tavern  at  Paris,  Kentucky. 

William  was  attentive  and  respectful  to  every  one  with  whom 
he  was  thrown  in  contact.  To  me  he  had,  long  before  I  thought 
of  becoming  a  member  of  the  firm,  shown  more  than  usual  at 
tention,  which  naturally  caused  me  to  take  a  deep  interest  in 
him,  which  was  greatly  strengthened  when  I  learned  his  unfor 
tunate  position.  Fortune,  in  throwing  him  into  the  hands  of 
Kent,  had  dealt  him  a  cruel  blow.  He  was  a  most  inhuman  mas 
ter,  who  never  spoke  a  kind  word  to  his  slave,  or  allowed  him  a 
moment's  pastime ;  and  whenever  policy  or  fear  forbade  him  to 
vent  his  passion  upon  others,  William  was  the  scape -goat  \vho 
received  the  brunt  of  his  anger.  Frequently  for  the  slightest, 
and  often  an  imaginary  offense,  he  would  take  the  boy  to  his 
sleeping  apartment  and  flog  him  severely.  Many  of  the  patrons 
of  the  place  noticed  his  cruelty  toward  the  boy,  and  the  com 
ments  passed  upon  his  actions  were  by  no  means  laudatory  of 
Mr.  Kent.  But  public  opinion  exercised  no  influence  over  his 
unfeeling  heart,  and  it  was  only  when  old  man  Greene  would  re 
monstrate  with  him  about  his  barbarous  treatment  of  the  boy, 
that  William  enjoyed  a  brief  respite  from  his  persecutions. 

When  I  first  became  a  visitor  at  the  rooms,  Kent,  seeing  I  was 
disposed  to  play  at  his  favorite  short  games  with  him,  paid  me 
the  most  assiduous  attention.  I  soon  discovered,  however,  that 
I  was  overmatched  at  these  contests,  and  dropped  them,  conse 
quently  ;  but  not  before  I  had  lost  to  him,  at  brag  and  similar 
games,  about  six  hundred  dollars.  While  these  contests  lasted 
he  would  exclaim,  "  I've  broken  ye  in,  an'  ye're  my  meat  now !  " 
But  he  had  made  a  false  calculation;  for  no  sooner  had  ray  thick 
skull  received  the  fact  that  he  overmatched  me,  than  his  coarse 
jests  and  rude  bantering  could  not  induce  me  to  pit  myself 
against  him  at  any  of  the  short-card  games  in  which  he  was  pro- 


A  "NIGGER  IN  THE  FENCE."  469 

flcient.  The  fact  of  the  business  was,  I  had  gotten  to  hate  the 
fellow  so  thoroughly  that  I  had  rather  at  any  time  a  thief  should 
steal  a  hundred  dollars  from  me  than  he  should  win  one.  He 
did  not,  however,  show  any  rudeness  towards  me  in  consequence 
of  my  refusal  to  play  with  him  longer;  on  the  contrary,  subse 
quently,  whenever  I  came  into  the  room  he  treated  me  as  cor 
dially  as  his  dirty  nature  would  permit  him  to  do ;  but  when  I 
became  a  partner  of  the  concern  he  fancied  that  my  age  would 
render  me  a  fitting  object  for  him  to  display  his  domineering 
disposition  upon.  Old  Greene  had  warned  me  that  he  was,  as 
he  expressed  it,  "  a  hard  man  to  do  business  with,"  and  inform 
ed  me  that  "  Kent  is  cantankerous  at  times,  but  ye  mustn't  mind 
'im." 

But  I  did  mind  "  'im,"  and  at  the  very  outset  took  the  oppor 
tunity  to  give  Mr.  Kent  distinctly  to  understand  that  I  desired 
and  was  not  disposed  to  put  up  with  any  of  his  nonsense,  and 
from  that  time  a  remarkable  coolness  sprung  up  between  us,  al 
though  we  worked  at  the  faro-game  both  night  and  day  to 
gether. 

I  had  been  at  various  times  in  the  habit  of  giving  to  William 
small  sums  of  money  for  little  extra  services  which  he  rendered 
me  personally.  Shortly  after  the  springing  up  of  the  coldness  I 
have  mentioned  between  myself  and  Kent,  while  in  one  of  his 
chronic  fits  of  ill-humor,  he  took  the  boy  to  his  room  and  gave 
him  a  flogging.  While  stripping  himself,  according  to  the  order 
of  his  master,  to  receive  the  punishment,  a  five-dollar  gold  piece 
dropped  from  his  clothing,  and  William  was  compelled  to  ac 
knowledge  that  he  had  received  it  from  me  as  a  gift.  The  fel 
low  came  to  me  in  a  furious  rage,  handed  me  the  money,  at  the 
same  time  warning  me  that  if  I'gajre  money  to  his  boy  there 
would  "  be  some  h'ar-pullin'  goin'  on  about  the  house."  Well 
knowing  any  altercation  which  I  might  have  with  him  would  only 
rebound  on  William,  and  subject  him  to  farther  and  more  brutal 
punishment,  I  answered  him  mildly,  saying  I  had  but  paid  the 
boy  what  I  owed  him  for  waiting  upon  me. 

"I  -d^on't  keep  'im  here  to  wait  on  yer,  by  a  damn  sight.  I 
keeps  him  here  to  wait  on  me  an'  this  here  room,  an'  I  don't 
want  yer  to  give  'im  any  more  money,  mind  that,  Mr.  Morris." 

"Very  good,  Mr.  Kent,"  I  replied;  "I  shan't  offend  you  again 
in  this  respect." 


470  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

On  my  entrance  into  the  concern  as  one  of  its  partners,  its 
luck  seemed  to  take  a  decided  turn  in  our  favor,  which  greatly 
relieved  the  overcharged  heart  and  brain  of  Mr.  Greene,  and 
caused  him  to  be  more  attentive  to  his  business,  and  to  abandon 
his  former  style  of  pacing  up  and  down  on  the  pavement  in  front 
of  the  Sans  Soucci  Coffee- House. 

Though,  as  the  close  of  the  business  season  approached,  our 
play  became  perceptibly  lighter,  yet,  on  the  whole,  we  had  more 
patrons  than  any  other  establishment  of  the  same  sort  in  the 
city.  Among  our  patrons  was  a  young  man  from  Boston,  by 
name  Joseph  Forrest.  He  was  handsome,  dressed  fashionably 
and  with  more  than  usual  taste  and  care.  He  was  well  educated 
and  possessed  a  large  fund  of  general  information,  which  he  was 
vain  of  displaying  in  company,  for  doing  which  he  never  al 
lowed  an  opportunity  to  slip.  I  had  made  the  acquaintance  of 
this  gentleman  shortly  after  my  arrival  in  Mobile,  and  in  the 
course  of  time  I  had  formed  a  great  liking  for  him — so  much  so 
that  I  had  upon  several  occasions  loaned  him  sums  of  money 
varying  from  one  hundred  dollars  to  five  hundred  dollars,  when 
I  saw  no  sort  of  prospect  of  his  paying  me,  unless  he  should  win 
it  at  faro  or  make  it  at  the  various  short-card  games  he  was 
fond  of  playing.  He  was  a  good  general  card-player,  which,  in 
gambling  parlance,  means  he  could  play  all  the  various  short- 
card  games  well.  But  Mr.  Forrest  had  a  strong  predilection  for 
"fighting  the  tiger,"  and  what  money  he  had  won  at  short-card 
games  during  the  season,  which  was  considerable,  was  cast  into 
the  maw  of  that  voracious  quadruped.  I  believe  during  his  so 
journ  in  Mobile  I  was  the  only  one  to  whom  he  applied  for 
money  in  his  distress,  it  being  his  policy  to  make  every  one  be 
lieve  he  was  a  person  of  means.  When  he  borrowed  from  me,  it 
was  done  in  private,  with  the  greatest  secrecy,  and  when  able  he 
repaid  me  with  the  most  scrupulous  exactness.  While  I  was  in 
terested  in  the  house  he  lost  twelve  hundred  dollars  to  the  bank, 
and  in  the  meantime  about  eight  hundred  dollars  more,  playing 
brag  with  Mr.  Kent. 

The  hot  weather  had  struck  in  upon  us,  mercantile  establish 
ments  were  closed,  steamers  were  laying  up,  commerce,  which 
had  thrilled  the  city  in  every  artery  with  busy  life,  was  in  its  last 
throes.  Familiar  faces  that  had  lately  thronged  our  streets  and 
public  places  had  disappeared;  "fly  time"  had  arrived,  and 


A  "NIGGER  IN  THE   PENCE."  471 

scarcely  a  person  was  to  be  seen  of  an  evening  in  our  rooms, 
which  were  lately  crowded  with  a  motley  gathering.  I  was  one 
morning  sitting  in  my  sleeping-room,  thinking  about  settling  up 
my  business  with  Greene  &  Kent  and  leaving  Mobile  for  the 
North,  when  Kent's  boy  William  rapped  at  the  door.  I  opened 
the  door  and  told  him  to  come  in,  but  he  had  no  sooner  complied 
with  my  request,  than  I  began  to  think  it  strange  that  he  had 
ventured  in.  Since  the  late  unpleasantness  between  his  master 
and  myself  about  the  five-dollar  piece,  he  had  not,  as  formerly, 
come  to  my  room  to  serve  me,  nor  dare  he,  while  at  the  gambling- 
room,  show  me  the  same  attention  as  the  veriest  stranger  might 
claim  from  him  while  his  master  was  present.  My  first  impression 
was  that  my  presence  was  required  in  the  gambling-room  by  his 
master  or  Mr.  Greene,  and  that  he  was  sent  to  notify  me  of  the 
fact,  but  I  quickly  abandoned  this  theory  of  his  appearance  on 
observing  his  pale  and  haggard  countenance  and  confused  man 
ner.  After  paying  me  the  ordinary  compliments  of  the  morn 
ing,  he  began  to  stammer,  finally  broke  down  altogether,  and 
seemed  unable  to  utter  a  word.  Without  seeming  to  notice  his 
manner,  I  gave  him  ample  time  to  recover  himself  while  I 
walked  over  to  the  mirror  and  commenced  arranging  my  hair. 

"Is  you  goin'  ter  stay  here  long  of  massa  John?"  he  finally 
asked,  before  I  had  completed  that  part  of  my  toilet. 

"In  Mobile,  do  you  mean,  William?" 

"Yes,  sah." 

"No,  William;  I  shall  probably  go  to  New  Orleans  to-morrow 
or  next  day." 

"Couldn't  ye  take  me  wid  yer,  marster  John?  Fse  'd  make 
yer  a  good  servant." 

"I  don't  doubt  it!    But  your  master  won't  sell  you,  William." 

"No,  sah!  Dat  he  won't  so  long's  he's  got  all  dat  money." 

"Then  I'm  afraid  I  can't  do  anything  for  you.  But  why  doea 
he  treat  you  so  cruelly  ?  " 

"He  couldn't  help  it,  marster  John;  he  treats  eberybody  bad, 
kase  he  bad  hisself." 

"I'm  very  sorry  for  you,  William,  and  wish  you  had  a  kinder 
master ;  I'll  give  Mr.  Kent  one  thousand  dollars  for  you,  and  you 
can  tell  him  so  if  you  wish." 

"Marster  Smith,  de  t'eatre  man,  he  offer  him  dat  fur  me  dis 
las'  winter,  but  he  no  takes  it,  an'  I  'se  seen  better  boys  dan  I  is 


472  •\TAXD2RIXGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

sell  here  fur  six  or  seven  hundred  dollars.  He  jist  keeps  me  fur 
to  spite  me,  dat's  all  he  dus  it  fur." 

"  Well,  I'm  sorry  for  you,  my  boy." 

"I  knows  how  yer  could  git  me,  marster  John,"  he  said, draw 
ing  nearer  to  me,  and  lowering  his  voice,  while  at  the  same  time 
his  restless  round  eyes  peered  directly  into  mine. 

"  Speak  out !  don't  be  afraid !    You  know  you  can  trust  me." 

"  I  knows  dat  ar  or  I  shouldn't  be  'ere." 

"Well,  go  on  then!" 

"Yer  kin  broke  'im  at  brag  an'  win  me  too.  I'll  make  yer  do 
it,  marster  John." 

"  How  can  you  manage  that,  William?" 

"  I'll  gib  yer  his  hand  by  de  item.  I'll  do  it  ef  yer  say  so, 
marster  John !" 

This  proposition  rather  staggered  me,  for  it  was  the  very  last 
thing  I  was  expecting  from  the  source  from  whence  it  emana 
ted.  I  did  not  give  the  boy  credit  for  understanding  that  inge 
nious  art,  whereby  the  unsuspecting  may  be  relieved  of  their 
money  at  the  card-table.  This  offer  revealed  a  whole  history  of 
unavenged  wrongs,  and  was,  besides,  in  a  selfish  point  of  view,  a 
very  tempting  one  to  me;  as  of  my  own  knowledge  I  knew  Kent 
had  in  his  possession  about  ten  thousand  dollars ;  but  a  moment's 
reflection  convinced  me  that  I  was  by  no  means  the  proper  per 
son  to  accomplish  such  a  feat. 

"  No,  William  !"  I  replied  in  a  calm  voice;  "  I  cannot  do  it !  In 
the  first  place  he  is  my  partner,  and  I  must  not  break 'faith  with 
him ;  but,  even  outside  of  that,  I  am  the  very  worst  person  you 
could  have  selected  for  such  an  undertaking.  I  have  repeatedly 
refused  to  play  him  brag,  and  should  I  now  banter  him  for  the 
game  and  win,  it  would  certainly  arouse  his  suspicious  nature, 
knowing,  as  he  does,  your  friendly  feeling  for  me,  and  would  end 
by  getting  us  both  into  serious  trouble.  No,  William !  that  won't 
do!  But  I  want  to  see  you  out  of  his  clutches,  and  am  willing  to 
aid  you,  provided  I  can  do  so  without  being  compromised  in  the 
matter.  I  am  not  his  guardian,  and  am  therefore  bound  by  no 
law  to  protect  his  interests  further  than  where  he  is  concerned 
with  me  in  the  faro- bank.  You  go  and  see  Mr.  Forrest;  he's  the 
very  man  you  want.  Go  right  off  and  see  him !  He'll  be  very 
glad  of  the  chance  which  I  cannot  accept." 

"  I  dusn't  knows  'im  likes  I  duz  you,  marster  John,"  said  the 


A   "NIGGER  IN   THE  FENCE."  473 

colored  boy,  regarding  me  doubtfully;  "  an'  maybe  ho'll  go  right 
away  an'  tell  Mister  Kent  1" 

"  He'll  do  nothing  of  the  sort,"  I  rejoined,  with  some  asperity ; 
"  he  wants  money  too  bad  for  that." 

' '  Hadn't  you  better  see  'im  first,  marster  John  ?" 

"  No,  William;  because  I  don't  wish  to  be  known  in  the  matter 
at  all  by  any  one  save  yourself,  and  you  mustn't  give  Mr.  Forrest 
reason  to  suspect,  either  by  word  or  action,  that  I  know  any 
thing  about  your  business.  Go  and  see  him,  and  talk  to  him 
just  as  you've  talked  to  me,  and  I'll  warrant,  if  you  both  manage 
right,  that  you'll  obtain  your  freedom,  and  break  your  master  into 
the  bargain." 

He  hesitated.  He  feared  the  ordeal  of  placing  himself  in  the 
hands,  and  therefore  in  the  power,  of  a  second  person.  When  I 
proposed  Forrest,  I  was  almost  assured  he  would  grasp  at  so 
favorable  an  opportunity  for  making  money  with  great  eager 
ness,  but  a  moment's  reflection,  after  the  first  glare  of  the  project 
had  subsided,  convinced  me  that  there  were  contingent  circum 
stances  belonging  to  the  matter,  requiring,  at  least,  some  con 
sideration.  In  the  first  place,  like  all  northern  men  coming  to 
the  south,  he  might  have  a  dread  of  entering  into  collusion  with 
a  slave,  and  possibly  might  betray  him  to  his  master.  In  the 
second  place,  supposing  William  and  himself  succeeded  in  ac 
complishing  his  desire,  what  security  had  the  poor  slave  that  he 
would  deal  fairly  by  him?  Might  he  not  win  Kent's  money  and 
the  boy,  reach  New  Orleans  with  both,  and  there  sell  him  into 
slavery  again,  and  keep  all  the  plunder?  What  should  prevent 
him  from  perpetrating  such  an  act  of  treachery?  The  boy's 
tongue  was  tied  by  dread  of  the  lash,  and  even  should  he  have 
the  temerity  to  speak  in  his  own  defense,  his  voice  would  avail 
nothing  in  a  court  of  justice  against  that  of  a  white  man.  But 
there  was  nothing  better  for  it,  and  I  had  to  rely  upon  Forrest's 
honor  in  the  case — a  foundation, when  you  do  not  thoroughly  know 
your  man,  as  uncertain  and  treacherous  as  the  quicksands  of  the 
apparently  hard  and  smooth  sea-shore;  for  though  but  young  in 
years,  I  had  thoroughly  learned  how  closely  allied  are  honor  and 
interest.  After  a  few  moments'  cogitation,  however,  I  thought  I 
saw  my  way  clear,  and  advised  William  to  go  at  once  to  the 
room  of  Forrest  and  see  him.  I  told  him  I  would  follow,  and  wait 
in  the  street  for  him,  and  as  he  came  from  the  house,  if  Mr. 


474  WAXDEKItfGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

Forrest  declined,  or  in  any  way  demurred  at  accepting  the  pro 
position,  he  was  to  nod  and  lift  his  hat  to  me  at  the  same  time ; 
but  if  everything  proved  to  be  satisfactory  he  was  not  to  notice 
me  in  any  way  whatever,  but  go  directly  to  my  room,  whither  I 
would  immediately  follow,  to  hear  the  particulars  of  the  interview. 
I  had  resolved  in  case  Forrest  refused  to  take  up  the  affair,  that 
I  would  go  directly  to  his  room  and  try  my  utmost  powers  of 
persuasion  to  induce  him  to  keep  the  boy's  secret  at  least ;  but 
this  measure  was  purely  precautionary,  as  I  believed  Forrest 
would  accept  William's  proposition  with  the  greatest  avidity. 
Then  I  also  mentioned  to  William  the  opportunity  which  Forrest 
would  have  of  acting  treacherously  by  him,  in  case  their  enter 
prise  succeeded ;  and  to  obviate  as  much  as  possible  the 
chances  against  him,  I  advised  him  to  have  an  explicit  under 
standing  with  that  gentleman.  "Tell  him,"  I  said,  "  that  your 
freedom  must  be  the  first  thing  taken  into  consideration,  if  suf 
ficient  money  is  won  to  buy  it.  Tell  him  that  all  moneys  won 
more  than  sufficient  to  purchase  that,  must  be  equally  divided 
between  you,  and  if  the  game  is  prolonged  to  different  sittings, 
that  he  must  meet  and  settle  with  you  after  every  sitting.  And 
in  case  he  should  play  for  you,  he  must  have  a  bill  of  sale  of  you 
made  out  and  signed  by  Kent,  and  that  he  must  be  bound  to  sell 
you  again  to  any  person  you  should  wish  to  have  buy  you.  The 
intelligent  boy  understood  my  meaning  and  motives  thoroughly, 
and  promised  to  follow  my  directions  implicitly.  I  then  gave 
him  four  hundred  dollars  and  told  him  that  if  he  was  successful 
in  coming  to  an  agreement  with  Forrest,  to  give  it  to  him  to  play 
the  game  against  Kent ;  but  in  case  they  could  not  come  to  an 
arrangement,  not  to  give  him  the  money,  and  in  any  case  not  to 
do  so  unless  he  was  willing  to  accede  to  all  the  stipulations  men 
tioned,  but  to  leave  him  and  come  out  into  the  street,  and  give 
me  the  sign  we  had  agreed  upon  to  denote  a  failure.  I  knew 
well  enough  that  Forrest  was  not  likely  to  have  more  than  one 
or  two  hundred  dollars,  and  that  the  additional  four  hundred 
would  give  him  a  pretty  good  stake  to  meet  Kent  with  the  power 
ful  leverage  which  he  would  have  also  in  his  favor.  I  instructed 
William  to  tell  him  that  the  money  was  his  own,  which  he  had 
saved  up  without  the  knowledge  of.  Kent,  and  after  these  last 
instructions  sent  him  on  his  errand. 
As  the  time  of  William's  absence  lengthened,  I  was  satisfied 


A   "NIGGER  IN  THE  FENCE."  475 

that  I  had  not  been  mistaken  in  the  matter,  and  that  Forrest 
had  snapped  eagerly  at  the  prospect  of  getting  the  best  of  his 
old  adversary  at  brag,  and  my  premonitions  were  at  length 
confirmed  by  the  appearance  of  William  in  the  street,  where 
he  immediately  gave  the  preconcerted  signal  that  all  was  well 
understood.  In  a  few  moments  we  were  again  closeted  in  my 
room,  where  he  informed  me  that  Forrest  had  accepted  his 
proposition  without  a  single  moment's  hesitation,  and  had  sol 
emnly  promised  to  observe  all  his  stipulations  to  the  very  letter. 

At  about  five  o'clock  in  the  evening,  Kent,  William  and  myself 
being  the  sole  occupants  of  the  gambling-room,  Forrest  entered 
with  a  smiling  face,  and  after  saluting  us  each  according  to  his 
custom,  he  walked  up  to  the  round  card-table  at  which  Kent 
was  sitting,  and  throwing  down  upon  it,  before  him,  a  pile  of 
bank-bills,  said:  "  There,  Mr.  Kent,  is  something  for  you  to  take 
in  at  brag." 

"You  don't  tell  me  that,  Forrest!"  exclaimed  Kent,  his  eyes 
brightening  as  much  at  the  prospect  of  gain  as  of  a  contest  at 
his  favorite  pastime.  "Why,  I  did  not  think  tbar  was  that  much 
money  left  in  town!"  and  added,  "Here,  William,  gin  us  some 
keards,"  in  the  tone  of  a  man  in  more  than  usual  good-humor. 
The  paper  was  immediately  furnished,  and  they  took  their  places 
and  the  contest  commenced,  each  trying  to  outwit  the  other. 
Not  expecting  any  faro-game,  and  thinking  my  presence  in  the 
room  might  incommode  Forrest,  I  took  my  hat  and  strolled  out, 
and  did  not  return  again  until  after  nine  o'clock. 

As  I  re-entered  the  room,  a  single  glance  at  the  card-table  con 
vinced  me  that  Forrest  was  progressing  finely.  Kent  had 
scarcely  any  money  before  him  on  the  table,  and  was  sweating 
profusely,  and  was  as  uneasy  as  a  bull  in  fly-time. 

"Give  me  two  thousand  dollars,  Morris!  This  here  Tank's 
chawiu'  me  up,"  was  the  first  salute  I  received  on  my  entrance. 

"You  must  have  had  some  bad  luck,"  I  replied,  by  way  of 
consolation ;  but  he  interrupted  me  savagely  with : 

"I  don't  know  what  you  calls  it,  but  ef  he  kin  beat  me  at  this 
here  game,  he  kin  win  enough  o'  stuff  ter  buy  hisself  a  stone 
house  ter  keep  hisself  from  freezing  ter  death  in,  in  that  there 
damned  cold  abolition  country  o'  hissen."  While  he  was  en 
gaged  in  the  delivery  of  this  neat  speech,  I  was  counting  out  from 
the  bank-money  the  sum  he  had  demanded.  "  How  much  stuff 


476  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

o'  mine  ye  got  thar?"  he  inquired,  seeing  me  occupied  in  running 
over  the  bank-notes  in  the  roll. 

"Do  you  wish  me  to  settle  up  the  game,  sir?" 

"I  reckon  as  how  you  might  jist  as  well."  "This  here  d — n 
bank  ain't  goin'  ter  git  euuy  more  play,"  he  replied. 

I  settled  up  the  hank-book  in  a  few  moments,  and  handed 
it  over  to  him  for  inspection. 

"Five  thousand  eight  hundred  an'  thirteen  bucks  ye've  got 
there  o'  mine,  then,  hey  ?" 

"  Yes,  sir,  that  I  believe  is  the  amount,"  I  rejoined. 

"  Wall,  pitch  it  heah ;  I  reckon  as  how  this  feller  here  '11  git  all 
afore  morninV 

I  did  as  he  bade  me,  and  immediately  afterwards  left  the 
rooms.  Forrest  was  then  already  some  three  thousand  dollars 
winner  of  him,  and  as  I  thought  it  would  likely  take  him  till 
close  on  to  daylight  before  he-  would  have  cleaned  him  out  en 
tirely,  I  therefore  resolved  to  remain  up,  in  order  to  be  "in  at 
the  death."  Having  loitered  away  among  some  of  the  other 
gambling-houses  of  the  place  some  five  hours,  my  impatience  to 
know  bow  the  affair  was  going  would  not  permit  me  to  absent 
myself  from  the  scene  of  action,  and  the  struggle  in  which  I  felt 
myself  almost  vitally  interested.  On  my  return  I  found  Kent 
and  Forrest  still  facing  each  other  at  the  card-table,  and  direct 
ly  behind  his  master's  chair  was  seated  William.  A  gleam  of 
triumph  shot  from  his  eyes  as  they  encountered  mine,  and  then 
they  fell  significantly  upon  the  table.  Lying  near  the  left  hand 
of  Forrest  was  a  large  pile  of  bank-notes,  and  in  the  center  of 
the  table  laid  another  pile.  Of  the  five  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  thirteen  dollars  which  I  had  given  Kent  at  the  beginning  of 
the  evening,  not  a  cent  remained  near  him;  and  a  single  glance 
convinced  me  at  the  moment  of  my  entrance  into  the  room, 
that  his  last  dollar  was  up  in  the  pool,  when  the  silence  was 
broken  by  a  wrangle  concerning  the  issue  of  the  game.  Each 
held  his  brag  hand  before  him  upon  the  table.  Kent  had  been 
drinking  brandy  pretty  freely  during  my  absence,  and  its  effects 
were  now  plainly  visible  upon  him. 

The  dispute,  if  such  it  could  he  called,  originated  in  this  man 
ner:  Forrest  had  dealt  the  cards  and  had  placed  an  ante  of 
twenty-five  dollars  on  the  center  of  the  table,  which  was  imme 
diately  covered  by  Kent,  when  Forrest  bet  him  one  hundred 


A  "NIGGER  IN  THE  FENCE."  477 

dollars  more.  This  was  also  seen  by  Kent,  after  which  he 
shoved  up  into  the  pool  what  money  he  had  before  him,  being 
his  last  dollar,  and  amounting  to  four  hundred  and  seventy-five 
dollars.  Forrest  covered  the  last  brag  of  his  adversary,  which 
made  altogether  in  the  pool  twelve  hundred  dollars.  Both  con 
testants  stood  "  pat" — that  is,  refused  to  draw  fresh  cards.  Kent, 
having  the  "age,"  or  first  play,  said,  "I'll  bet  five  hundred  dol 
lars."  "  Put  it  up,"  replied  his  adversary.  But  Mr.  -Kent  did 
not  happen  to  have  the  little  sum  handy  about  him,  but  insisted 
that  his  word  was  good  for  the  amount.  The  incredulous  For 
rest  could  not  see  it  in  that  light.  It  was  while  this  little  "on- 
pleasautness "  was  on  the  "tapis"  that  I  entered  the  room,  and 
as  I  approached  the  table  the  silence  was  broken  by  the  voice  of 
Kent,  reiterating  for  the  third  or  fourth  time,  "I'll  bet  you  five 
hundred  dollars  for  the  'pot'." 

"The  money  ain't  there,  Mr.  Kent,  and  I'm  not  going  to  take 
a  credit  bet,"  replied  the  calm  voice  of  Forrest. 

Kent,  now  throwing  up  his  eyes  to  me  for  the  first  time,  said, 
"Put  up  five  hundred  dollars  thar,  fur  me,  Morris." 

"You  must  excuse  me,  sir,"  I  replied. 

"  Yer've  got  Greene's  money,  hain't  yer?"  he  inquired. 

"Yes,  sir." 

"Give  it  to  me,  then,"  he  demanded. 

"  Not  until  he  orders  me  to  do  so,  Mr.  Kent,"  I  rejoined. 

"I  tell  yer  it's  all  right,  Morris." 

"Give  me  ther  money,'7  he  demanded,  slapping  his  hand  down 
violently  upon  the  table. 

"It's  not  right  with  me,  Mr.  Kent,  until  I  have  Mr.  Greene's 
orders  for  it,"  I  replied. 

"Oh,  let's  show  down  for  the  'pot,'"  cried  Forrest,  excitedly. 

"Not  ef  I  knows  myself,  I  dusn't,"  said  Kent,  stretching  his 
right  hand  over  the  pool  as  if  to  protect  it  from  a  "  snatch," 
though  no  demonstration  of  the  kind  had  been  made  by  his  ad 
versary. 

"  Well,  then,  put  up  your  money,  Mr.  Kent."  reiterated  For 
rest. 

"It'll  be  all  thar;  don't  yer  fret  yerself,  Mr.  Forrest."  Then 
looking  up  to  me  he  said,  "  Morris,  put  up  that  five  hundred  fur 
me.  I've  got  ten  thousand  dollars  deposited  in  ther  bank  o'  Mobile, 
an'  ef  I  lose  the  money  I'll  pay  yer.ter-morrer,  sure.  Put  it  up, 


478  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

Morris;  it's  all  right.    George  Kent  never  went  back  on  'is  word 
yit.     Bet  yer  life  oil 't!" 

"You  must  excuse  me,  Mr.  Kent,"  I  replied,  "I  cannot  ac 
commodate  you ! '' 

Finding  he  could  neither  get  Forrest  to  play  with  him  on 
space  nor  yet  coax  any  money  out  of  me,  he  thought  of  his  slave- 
boy,  perhaps  for  the  first  time,  and  cried  out,  "Come  here, 
William."" 

The  boy  rose  from  his  chair  behind  his  master,  and  stood  be 
side  him.  "Here's  my  boy,  Mr.  Forrest;  I'll  bet  'im  at  five 
hundred  dollars,"  he  said,  addressing  his  adversary. 

"  I'm  not  taking  bets  that  way,  Mr.  Kent,"  replied  the  imper 
turbable  Forrest. 

"How  in  h— 1  are  ye  takin"em,  then  ?"  demanded  his  op 
ponent,  savagely.  . 

"I  want  you  to  put  up  the  money,  or  else  let's  show  down  hands 
and  the  best  one  take  the  pool." 

"  I  shan't  do  't !  This  here  boy  's  money,  an'  I'll  bet  'im  fur 
five  hundred  dollars.  What  do  yer  do  now?  Come,  now,  no 
d n  nonsense  with  me ! "  he  cried,  elevating  his  voice,  and  be 
ginning  to  look  "fitish." 

"  How  much  do  you  want  for  the  boy,  Mr.  Kent  ?  "  inquired 
his  adversary,  in  a  very  calm  voice,  not  manifesting  in  any  way 
that  he  was  in  the  slightest  degree  moved  by  the  bluster  of  his 
opponent. 

"  The  boy  ain't  for  sale,  but  I'll  play  'im,  redeemable  in  the 
morniu',  at  three  thousand  dollars,  Mr.  Forrest." 

"I  ain't  playing  ray  money  against  niggers  at  three  thousand 
dollars  apiece,"  cried  that  gentleman,  angrily  gathering  up  his 
money  and  stuffing  it  into  the  pockets  of  his  pants.  "Now,  Mr. 
Kent,"  he  added,  in  a  determined  voice,  "  let's  show  down  for 
this  '  pot,'  and  quit  for  the  night."  This  movement  of  Forrest, 
which  was  executed  for  the  purpose  of  inducing  Kent  to  give  a 
bill  of  sale  of  the  negro,  did  not  fail  of  its  intended  effect  upon 
that  worthy ;  to  use  a  gambling  phrase,  "  he  was  badly  stuck," 
and  would  have  sold  himself  for  money  to  continue  the  game ; 
besides,  he  felt  confident  that  his  cards  were  the  best,  as  he  held 
two  braggers  and  an  ace,  and  had  the  "age  "in  his  favor  besides. 
There  were  but  two  hands  left  in  the  pack  better  than  the  one 
he  held,  three  natural  aces,  or  a  bragger  with  two  aces.  The 


A  "NIGGER  IN  THE  PENCE."  479 

finesse  of  his  companion,  in  insisting  that  he  should  show  down 
for  the  pool,  confirmed  him  in  the  idea  that  he  held  the  winning 
hand,  and  he  was  by  no  means  willing  to  give  Forrest  a  sight  for 
the  pool,  when  he  had  a  chance  of  winning  five  hundred  dollars 
more,  or,  if  not  called,  the  pool  without  exposing  his  cards. 

Without  appearing  to  take  any  notice  of  the  words  or  actions 
of  Forrest,  he  again  turned  to  me  and  said,  "  Morris,  just  lend 
me  fifteen  hundred  dollars  on  this  'ere  boy,  an  I'll  redeem  'im  in 
ther  moruin'." 

"  I  wouldn't  give  you  seven  hundred  dollars  for  him,  Mr. 
Kent,"  I  replied. 

"  Lend  me  five  hundred  dollars,  then,"  he  persisted. 

"I'm  going  North  in  a  few  days,"  I  rejoined,  "and  I  don't 
want  to  be  encumbered  with  any  slave  property." 

"But  I  tells  yer  I'm  gwine  ter  redeem  the  boy  ter-morrer." 

"  Don't  ask  me  any  more,  Mr.  Kent,  I  beg,  for  I  cannot  oblige 
you,"  I  said,  decidedly. 

He  then  turned  once  more  to  his  opponent  and  asked  him  if  he 
would  play  for  the  boy  at  fifteen  hundred  dollars,  redeemable  in 
the  morning. 

That  gentleman  appeared  to  study  intently  over  the  matter  for 
some  moments,  and  then  said,  "If  you  promise  to  redeem  the 
boy  to-morrow  I'll  play  for  him  at  fifteen  hundred  dollars ;  but 
you  must  give  me  a  bill  of  sale  of  him  now." 

"  William,  bring  me  sumthin'  ter  write  with,"  he  cried,  with 
out  making  any  direct  reply  to  Forrest.  In  a  few  moments  the 
boy  had  laid  the  desired  articles  before  him.  The  writing  out 
of  a  bill  of  sale  for  a  slave  was  the  best  part  of  Mr.  Kent's  edu 
cation  ;  but  the  brandy  which  he  had  so  freely  imbibed  had 
confused  his  brain,  and  it  was  some  moments  before  he  could 
collect  his  scattered  faculties  and  bend  them  to  the  task  before 
him.  But  he  finally  mastered  it  in  a  clerk-like  manner,  and 
handed  over  to  Forrest,  for  inspection,  the  instrument  which  con 
veyed  to  him  the  body,  bones,  flesh  and  blood  of  the  boy  Wil 
liam,  for  and  in  consideration  of  the  sum  of  fifteen  hundred  dol 
lars.  When  Mr.  Forrest  had  carefully  examined  the  paper  he 
took  from  his  pocket  all  the  money  he  had  and  laid  it  on  the  ta 
ble.  He  then  counted  out  from  it  the  stipulated  fifteen  hundred 
dollars,  and  pushed  it  towards  his  adversary,  with  the  remark, 
"I  shall  keep  the  boy  in  my  possession  till  he's  redeemed; 
and  I  have  your  word  for  it  you'll  do  it  to-morrow,  Mr.  Kent." 


480  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

"  Bet  yer  life  on  'tl "  was  the  reply  of  that  worthy,  seizing  the 
roll  of  bank-notes,  and,  without  more  ado,  throwing  it  on  the 
middle  of  the  table,  saying  at  the  same  moment,  "  Five  hundred 
dollars ! " 

"  You  bet  that  much  for  the  pool? "  demanded  Forrest. 

"  Thar's  ther  money,  an'  I've  said  it ! "  was  the  answer. 

Forrest,  without  making  any  reply,  counted  from  his  money 
fifteen  hundred  dollars  more  and  threw  it  into  the  pool,  saying, 
"  I  see  your  five  hundred  dollars,  and  go  you  a  thousand  better." 

The  rebound  was  the  last  thing  Kent  had  expected.  He  sat 
back  in  his  chair  and  gazed  with  amazement  into  the  face  of  his 
opponent  for  several  moments.  Meanwhile  that  gentleman  kept 
his  eyes  on  the  pool,  to  all  appearances  as  cool  as  a  cucumber  in 
an  ice-box.  The  surprise  of  his  opponent  was  only  momentary, 
however.  "My  money's  thar!"  he  replied,  curtly. 

"You  call  me,  then?"  demanded  Forrest,  laconically. 

"Yes,"  was  the  reply.  " I  thought  so ! "  he  muttered,  gazing 
on  the  two  aces  and  a  nine  which  Forrest  had  exposed  upon  the 
table ;  then  throwing  his  own  cards  beside  those  of  his  opponent 
he  said,  quietly,  "You've  beat  me,  Forrest!" 

The  latter,  without  vouchsafing  any  remarks,  took  down  the 
pool  and  conveyed  the  money,  together  with  the  bill  of  sale,  to 
his  pockets.  Kent  now  commenced  begging  Forrest  to  continue 
their  game  until  daybreak.  "I've  ten  thousand  dollars  in  the 
bank,  Mr.  Forrest,  an'  ef  yer  kin  beat  me,  yer  kin  win  it  all.  I'll 
go  with  yer  soon's  ther  bank's  open  an'  git  ther  money  fur  yer. 
I  will,  sure.  Play  ahead,  d — n  it.  You'll  git  yer  money  ef  yer 
win !  Won't  do  it,  hey  ?  Got  enufif,  I  s'pose !  allers  thought  yer 
was  short  stock!"  His  entreaties,  promises,  and  insults  fell  alike 
on  steeled  ears.  As  soon  as  he  had  safely  disposed  of  his  money, 
he  rose  from  his  chair  and  bade  William  follow  him. 

"Must  I  do  it,  Master  George?"  inquired  William. 

"Yes,  yer  hisssen  till  ter-morrer;  go  along  wid  him,"  replied 
Kent,  folding  his  arms  upon  the  table  and  letting  his  head  sink 
upon  them. 

The  combined  influence  of  the  brandy  which  he  had  drank 
and  the  excitement  through  which  he  had  passed  had  complete 
ly  overcome  him,  and  in  a  few  moments  he  was  fast  asleep  and 
snoring  vigorously,  in  which  state  I  left  him  and  repaired  to  my 
lodgings. 


THE  "NIGGEK"  GETS  OUT.  481 

CHAPTER    XXXIX. 

THE  "NIGGER"  GETS  OUT. 

It  seemed  to  me  that  I  had  only  just  fallen  asleep  when  I  was 
awakened  by  a  rapping  at  my  door.  I  arose  and  opened  it,  and 
found  that  William  was  there  and  desired  to  speak  with  me.  I 
looked  at  my  watch,  and  found  it  was  nine  o'clock.  William  had 
to  say  to  me  that,  having  reached  the  lodgings  of  Mr.  Forrest  on 
the  previous  evening,  he  had  demanded  of  that  gentleman  a 
division  of  the  money  he  had  won  from  Kent,  but  that  Forrest 
had  refused,  on  the  ground  that  there  might  yet  be  some  trouble 
with  his  old  master  about  his  ownership,  and  that  it  would  be 
exceedingly  dangerous  for  him  to  be  found  with  money  upon  his 
person.  "I  told  him,"  said  William,  "that  that  excuse  would 
not  answer,  and  requested  him  to  comply  at  once  with  the 
terms  of  the  compact,"  but  he  positively  refused  to  do  anything 
until  the  matter  of  William's  ownership  was  definitely  arranged 
with  Kent.  William  then  asked  him  for  the  four  hundred  dollars 
which  he  had  put  into  his  hands,  and  that  was  also  refused,  on 
the  plea  that  he  could  do  nothing  until  he  came  to  an  under 
standing  with  Kent  regarding  himself.  "I  tells  yer,  marster 
John,"  said  William,  at  the  end  of  this  narrative,  "dat  man  he 
means  no  good  wid  dis  niggah ! "  I  bade  him  at  once  return  to 
Forrest,  and  if  he  saw  him  making  any  preparations  for  leaving 
the  place,  to  come  at  once  and  inform  me,  telling  him  he  would 
find  me  either  at  my  lodgings  or  at  the  gambling-room,  and 
charged  him  to  say  nothing  whatever  on  the  subject  of  his  in 
terview  with  me,  or  of  the  money,  to  Forrest,  but  to  leave  matters 
entirely  in  my  hands. 

I  was  satisfied  that  even  if  it  was  his  intention  to  act  foully  by 
the  boy,  he  would  not  leave  the  place  except  he  took  him  along; 
but  I  was  determined  I  would  not  leave  it  to  chance.  He  had 
forfeited  his  word  to  the  boy  already,  and  had  even  refused  to 
return  the  four  hundred  dollars  which  he  had  advanced  him  for 
purposes  of  play.  This,  certainly,  did  not  look  much  as  if  he 
meant  to  act  fairly  in  the  matter.  He  might  have  thought,  it  is 
true,  that  Kent  would  be  disposed  to  wrangle  about  his  slave  on 
the  pretext  that  the  bill  of  sale  was  given  at  a  gambling-table, 


482  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

and  he  might  also  have  feared  that,  if  the  money  were  found 
upon  William,  he  might  be  compelled  under  the  lash  to  tell 
how  he  came  by  it.  These  reasons  might  have  hindered  him 
from  fulfilling  his  contract,  and  he  might  still  be  willing  to  ful 
fill  it  so  soon  as  everything  relating  to  the  ownership  of  William 
could  be  amicably  arranged  with  Mr.  Kent.  But  my  suspicions 
that  he  intended  to  behave  dishonorably  in  the  matter  had  been 
aroused,  and  I  was  perfectly  determined  that,  in  the  face  of  ah1 
hazard,  I  would  prevent  his  leaving  the  city  until  he  had  made  a 
just  division  of  the  money  with  William,  and  consigned  the  boy 
to  my  possession.  He  had  in  his  hand  about  five  thousand  dol 
lars  rightfully  belonging  to  the  boy,  except  the  four  hundred 
dollars  belonging  to  me,  and  also  a  bill  of  sale  of  the  boy,  whom 
he  could  convert  into  ready  money  in  New  Orleans,  Louisville, 
or  any  of  the  large  places  he  would  pass  through  after  leaving 
Mobile  on  his  way  northward.  The  prize  was  a  tempting  one 
to  an  unscrupulous  person,  especially  when  the  only  person  in 
the  world  capable  of  unmasking  his  villainy  was  a  poor  tongue- 
tied  slave.  I  therefore  resolved  to  stick  closer  than  a  brother 
to  Mr.  Forrest  until  matters  were  settled  according  to  my  taste. 

At  about  one  o'clock  in  the  day  I  met  the  gentleman  at  the 
"Sans  Soucci."  He  appeared  somewhat  nervous  when  I  congrat 
ulated  him  upon  his  good  fortune,  but  replied  to  me  by  a  short 
laugh  and  a  knowing  toss  of  the  head,  "Oh!  I  knew  I  was 
bound  to  beat  that  fellow  certain  if  ever  the  cards  broke  even." 

"But  how  in  the  world  came  you  to  give  him  fifteen  hundred 
dollars  for  that  boy? — he  isn't  worth  seven  hundred." 

"I  know  that,  but  I  was  afraid  of  having  a  fuss  with  him, 
and  thought  that  the  best  way  to  get  out  of  it ;  besides,  I  knew 
to  almost  a  certainty  that  I  could  beat  his  hand.  But  do  you 
think  he'll  redeem  the  boy?"  he  asked,  with  an  anxious  look. 

"I  don't  think  he  can,"  I  replied;  "but  in  case  he  does  not, 
what  do  you  intend  to  do  with  him?" 

"Take  him  with  me,"  he  said. 

"Where?"  I  asked. 

"To  New  Orleans." 

"Are  you  going  to  remain  there?" 

"No!"  he  replied;  "I  am  going  to  the  North  almost  imme 
diately." 

"Well,"!  rejoined,  "don't  leave  until  you  come  to  some  ar- 


THE   "NIGGER"  GETS  OUT.  483 

rangemeut  with  Kent  relative  to  the  nigger ;  for  ne  might  be 
mean  enough  to  make  trouble  for  you  otherwise." 

"  What  trouble  could  he  make  me  ?  "  he  inquired,  rather  anx 
iously. 

"  Why,  the  sale  was  made  at  a  gambling -table,  and  he  might 
be  mean  enough  to  dispute  it  on  those  grounds,"  I  replied. 

"Do  you  think  that  he  would  be  mean  enough  to  do  such  a 
thing  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  can't  tell.  There's  no  saying  what  he  might  do.  It's  your 
policy  to  come  to  some  agreeable  understanding  with  him;  and, 
if  you  can  do  no  better,  to  give  him  one  or  two  hundred  dollars 
over,  in  case  he  hands  over  to  you  the  original  bill  of  sale, 
which  he  holds,  of  William." 

"  That's  pretty  good !  The  d — n  nigger's  already  cost  me  twice 
what  he's  worth,"  he  grumbled. 

"That's  your  own  fault.  You  say  you  were  obliged  to  take 
him  to  keep  from  having  a  fuss  with  Kent.  Now,  make  the  most 
you  can  of  a  bad  bargain,"  I  rejoined.  "  At  this  time  of  the  year 
the  boy  at  best  will  not  bring  over  seven  or  eight  hundred  dol 
lars,  and  when  you  get  to  New  Orleans  you  go  to  Durant  &  Coll- 
yer's — they'll  give  you  pretty  near  his  value  for  him ;  then  you 
won't  have  any  more  trouble  with  the  nigger." 

The  firm  mentioned  was  a  myth,  and  had  no  existence  except 
in  my  brain ;  but  I  watched  him  carefully  as  I  spoke,  and  I  saw 
my  information  had  not  fallen  upon  inattentive  ears,,  and  was  by 
no  means  lost  upon  him. 

"Who's  Durant  &  Colly er?"  he  asked. 

"  They  are  the  largest  slave-merchants  in  New  Orleans,  if  not 
in  the  whole  South.  They  are  constantly  buying  and  selling 
slaves,  from  one  year's  end  to  another,"  I  replied.  "  It  would  be 
a  curiosity  for  you  to  see  their  slave-yard  in  that  city." 

"Do  you  know  in  what  part  of  the  city  their  place  is?  "  he 
asked. 

"  Yes;  110  Esplanade  Street,"  I  replied,  improvising  street  and 
number  for  his  especial  benefit.  He  took  from  his  pocket  a 
memorandum  and  made  a  note  of  it  there  and  then,  after  which 
he  returned  it  to  his  pocket,  and  then  turning  again  to  me,  asked, 
"  Have  you  seen  anything  of  Kent  to-day  ?" 

"No,"  I  answered;  "  but  you'll  find  him  in  the  gambling-room 
this  evening,  and  I'd  lose  no  time  in  seeing  him  there  and  settling 


484  WJJSBEBX8QB  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

up  your  business  with  him."  He  said  he  would,  and  then  left 
me. 

Entering  the  gambling-room,  the  only  person  I  met  there  was 
Mr.  Greene,  who  was  engaged  in  stepping  the  room  off,  back 
wards  and  forwards,  at  a  rapid  pace,  with  his  hands  clasped  be 
hind  him-  I  learned  from  him  that  he  got  there  about  nine 
o'clock  and  found  the  lights  all  burning  and  the  doors  wide  open, 
and  Kent  seated  in  a  chair  with  his  head  leaning  over  on  the 
poker-table,  fast  asleep.  That  gentleman,  having  been  aroused 
from  his  slumbers,  informed  him  of  all  that  had  taken  place  on 
the  previous  evening,  after  which  he  went  up- stairs  with  the 
avowed  intention  of  seeking  his  bed,  where  he  was  at  that  mo 
ment  supposed  to  be  sleeping.  As  soon  as  I  had  paid  my  re 
spects  to  the  worthy  Greene,  that  gentleman  stopped  abruptly 
in  his  promenade  directly  hi  front  of  me,  and  addressed  me  with, 
"A  pretty  kittle  o'  fish  he's  cooked  fur  hisself!"  at  the  same 
time  rolling  his  eyes  and  jerking  his  thumbs  in  the  direction  of 
the  ceiling,  to  indicate  that  he  was  speaking  of  his  partner 
asleep  in  the  room  above.  "  Lose  ten  thousand  dollars  in  a  night 
and  a  likely  nigger  inter  ther  bargain !  Jehu !  Did  you  ever  hear 
ther  like  o'  't  1  when  everything's  dead  's  h — 1,  too !  He'll  be  ar- 
ter  me  fur  a  stake !  Won't  git  it,  tho' !  I'm  d— d  ef  he  dus !  I've 
got  enough  weight  ter  pack  all  summer,  without  toatin'  'im.  I 
bet  that  Yank  robbed  'im.  They're  allers  sneakin'  'round  ter 
git  hold  o'  jist  sich  infernal  fools  as  he  is." 

"  Why,  Mr.  Kent  said  repeatedly  last  night  that  he  had  ten 
thousand  dollars  deposited  in  the  bank  of  Mobile." 

"  Ten  thousand  lice!    He  ain't  got  a  cent,  d — n  'im." 

"He  told  Forrest  so,  and  wanted  him  to  play  for  it,  saying 
that  if  he  won  he'd  take  him  to  the  bank  directly  it  opened  and 
give  him  his  money." 

"  He's  an  infernal  fool  when  he's  got  any  licker  in  'im,  an'  '11 
allers  over-play  himself  ef  he  loses;  when  he's  all  right  there 
ain't  an  honester  man  in  Allerbamer  than  George  Kent." 

"He  wanted  me  to  give  him  your  money,  too,  but  I  wouldn't  do 
it;  and  I  don't  think  we  shall  get  any  more  play  here,  so  hadn't 
we  better  settle  up  our  business?  for  I  don't  care  to  be  carrying 
your  money  any  longer." 

The  old  gentleman  acquiesced,  and  in  a  few  moments  we  had 
settled  up  our  affairs  to  the  perfect  satisfaction  of  both,  and  I 


THE  "NIGGEB"  GETS  OUT.  485 

left  my  venerable  friend  for  a  few  hours.  When  I  returned  to 
the  room  I  found  it  occupied  by  Greene  and  Kent  both,  and  the 
hands  of  the  clock  pointed  to  six.  The  latter  gentleman  seemed 
as  fresh  as  a  lark,  and  was  much  better  dressed  than  I  had 
ever  seen  him  previously.  As  soon  as  I  entered  the  room  he 
accosted  me  with,  "Well,,  Morris,  how  did  I  quit  that  fellow  this 
morning?" 

"I  believe  you  lost  what  money  you  had,  and  William  at  fifteen 
hundred  dollars,"  I  said. 

"How  much  money  did  you  give  me,  now?"  he  inquired. 

"  Five  thousand,  eight  hundred  and  thirteen  dollars,"  I  replied, 
"  which  was  your  share  of  the  bank-money,  and  I  have  a  few 
hours  since  given  to  Mr.  Greene  the  same  amount. 

"That's  all  right,"  he  rejoined.  "I  only  want  ter  know  what 
that  d — n  Yank  robbed  me  outen.  I  was  too  drunk  last  night, 
and  that  sneakin'  swindler  robbed  me  sure  an'  sartain." 

"In  course  he  did,"  acquiesced  Greene;  "what else  could  yer 
expect?" 

"What  the  h — 1  dew  yer  know  about  it,  you  damned  ole  fool  ?  " 
roared  the  amiable  Mr.  Kent,  rising  from  his  chair. 

This  sudden  fit  of  anger  exploding  on  the  devoted  head  of  the 
worthy  Greene,  effectually  silenced  that  gentleman.  When  .Mr. 
Kent's  wrath  had  somewhat  cooled  down,  he  took  two  or  three 
turns  around  the  room,  and  finally  stopped  in  front  of  his  worthy 
partner,  and  said,  in  commanding  tones,  "  I  want  yer  ter  give  me 
fifteen  hundred  dollars  to  redeem  William  from  that  are  Tank." 

"Let  'em  go,  damn  'im!  he  ain't  worth  seven  hundred!"  said 
Greene,  in  a  surly  tone. 

"He  ain't,  ain't  he?  Well,  I  wouldn't  take  ten  thousand  fur 
'im ;  he's  ther  best  nigger  I've  ever  owned,"  retorted  Mr.  Kent, 
with  a  savage  shake  of  the  head. 

"What  the  devil  were  you  allers  whippin'  'im  far,  then?"  sav 
agely  demanded  Greene. 

"Cos he's  mine,"  exclaimed  his  partner,  with  a  savage  wag  of 
the  head,  "and  I'd  a  right  ter  whip  ;im,  Mister  Greene ;  that's 
why." 

"So  is  my  money  mine,  Mister  Kent,"  retorted  old  man 
Greene,  "an'  I'll  keep  it  in  my  pocket." 

To  this  ungracious  speech  Mr.  Kent  replied  that  he  might 
stick  his  money  in  a  place  unmentionable  to  ears  polite,  "cos  he 


486  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

didn't  want  none  o'  his  favors. "    Having  delivered  himself  of 
which  pleasing  piece  of  information,  he  left  the  room. 

"D— n  'iin,  he  thinks  I  belongs  to  'im!"  burst  out  the  old  man 
striding  up  and  down  the  length  of  the  room  in  an  excited  man 
ner.  "Give  'im  fifteen  hundred  dollars  fur  a  seven-hundred 
dollar  nigger!  Not  for  Greene— a  little  too  late  hi  the  season  for 
that." 

During  this  delectable  interview  with  these  two  worthies,  my 
eyes  were  anxiously  watching  for  the  appearance  of  him  whom 
I  was  momentarily  expecting;  and  when  Kent  demanded  of 
Greene  fifteen  hundred  dollars  to  redeem  the  boy  with,  my  cogi 
tations  were  not  pleasant,  to  say  the  least ;  but  I  was  determined 
he  should  have  his  freedom,  if  it  cost  every  dollar  that  Kent  had 
lost.  The  last  named  gentleman  had  been  gone  scarcely  five  min 
utes,  when  I  was  agreeably  surprised  to  see  him  return  hi  com 
pany  with  Forrest,  and  a  single  glance  sufficed  to  tell  me  that 
they  had  come  to  some  amicable  understanding  on  the  subject  of 
the  negro. 

"Wait  here  a  few  minutes  till  I  go  up-stairs  an'  I'll  git  that  fur 
ye,"  said  Kent. 

After  an  absence  of  a  few  moments  he  reappeared  with  a 
folded  paper  and  laid  it  before  Forrest,  which  the  latter  took, 
and  then  Kent  asked  him  and  myself  to  go  down  to  the  "Sans 
Soucci"  and  have  a  julep  with  him,  which  we  did,  leaving  the  un 
invited  Mr.  Greene  pacing  up  and  down  the  room,  with  his 
hands  tightly  clasped  behind  him. 

While  drinking  our  juleps,  Kent  inquired  of  Forrest  when  he 
intended  leaving  the  city;  the  latter  answering  that  he  intended 
taking  passage  on  the  mail-boat,  to-morrow,  for  New  Orleans. 

At  parting  he  shook  hands  cordially  with  his  companion,  then 
left  us  standing  together  on  the  pavement  in  front  of  the  "Sans 
Soucci." 

"What  has  he  done?"  I  asked. 

"Well,  he  couldn't  redeem  the  nigger,  but  says  if  I'll  keep 
him,  he  will,  whenever  he's  got  the  money." 

"That's  very  uncertain,"  I  replied;  "but  has  he  given  you 
the  original  bill  of  sale?"  I  asked. 

"Yes,"  he  replied;  "that  was  it  he  handed  me  when  we  were 
up-stairs  there." 

"Well,  that  secures  you  the  boy,"  I  remarked,  "at  any  rate. 


THE    "3TIGGEK"  GETS  OUT.  487 

But  do  you  really  leave  on  the  mail-boat  for  New  Orleans?"  I 
asked. 

"Yes,"  he  answered,  then  inquired  when  I  myself  expected  to 
leave? 

"I  don't  know  yet,"  I  replied. 

"Well,  I  s'pose  I'll  see  you  again  before  I  leave  here,  at  any 
rate  ? " 

"Yes,  I  think  so,"  I  carelessly  replied,  and  with  these  words 
we  parted,  each  going  his  way. 

William,  according  to  appointment,  came  again  to  me  at  my 
room  in  the  dusk  of  the  evening,  and  I  informed  him  that  every 
thing  was  now  amicably  arranged  between  Kent  and  Forrest 
with  regard  to  himself,  and  that  himself  and  his  new  master 
were  going  upon  the  morrow  to  set  off  for  the  North,  and  I  also 
impressed  it  upon  his  mind,  although  it  was,  I  believe,  unneces 
sary,  that  he  must  see  Forrest  as  soon  as  possible,  and  try  and 
get  him  to  come  to  a  settlement.  I  told  him  to  see  him  in  his 
sleeping-chamber  as  soon  as  was  practicable,  and  demand  of  him 
then  and  there  a  full  settlement,  and  also  to  cause  himself  to  be 
properly  transferred  into  the  possession  of  a  certain  person  whom 
he  had  chosen  for  his  master.  But  I  cautioned  William,  in  case 
Forrest  would  not  comply  with  his  request,  not  to  mention  me 
as  the  person  to  whom  he  desired  to  be  sold,  and  to  return 
as  quickly  as  possible  and  let  me  know  the  result  of  the  inter 
view. 

The  laws  of  the  State  not  permitting  a  negro  to  show  himself 
in  the  streets  after  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  unless  in  posses 
sion  of  a  written  permit  from  his  master,  I  did  not  expect  to  see 
William  again  before  the  following  morning,  and  such  proved 
the  case.  He  was  at  my  door  rapping  me  up  as  early  as  seven 
o'clock.  He  informed  me  in  substance  that  Mr.  Forrest  had  re 
fused  positively  to  accede  to  a  single  one  of  his  demands.  "He 
means  bad,  marster  John !  He  tells  me  'twont  do  fur  me  to  hab 
munny,  kase  dey'll  find  it  on  me,  an'  makes  me  tell  where  I  git 
'em.  When  I  tell  'im  I  wants  ter  stay  here  wid  a  gemmen  I 
knows,  he  say  dat  ar  won't  do — dat  I  must  come  wid  him  to  de 
Norf,  an'  he  set  me  free  when  I  gits  dar,  an'  gib  me  my  part  of 
de  money.  Dat  man  mean  bad,  marster  John,  he  mean  bad 
all  along."  I  was  pretty  well  satisfied  of  it  before,  but  now  I 
was  fully  convinced.  I  had  already  made  up  my  mind  how  I 


488  WANDERINGS  OP  A  VAGABOND. 

intended  to  act  in  case  I  discovered  that  he  was  going  to  play 
the  boy  false.  I  learned  from  William  that  Forrest  was  at  that 
moment  in  his  sleeping- room,  and  a  few  minutes'  brisk  walk 
brought  me  to  his  domicile.  I  commanded  William  to  remain 
below  stairs  until  I  should  call  for  him.  The  door  was  opened 
responsive  to  my  knock,  and  Forrest  stood  before  me,  early  as  it 
was,  completely  dressed.  He  bade  me  enter  and  be  seated,  with 
both  of  which  requests  I  complied.  "You're  up  early  this  morn 
ing,  Morris,"  he  remarked,  giving  me  an  unquiet  look. 

"Yes,  sir,"  I  rejoined,  "and  I'm  sorry  I  am  compelled  to  dis 
turb  you  at  such  an  hour." 

"Don't  mention  it.  What  can  I  have  the  pleasure  of  doing  for 
you?"  he  inquired,  taking  a  chair  within  a  few  feet  of  me,  and 
also  sitting  down  upon  it. 

While  on  my  way  I  had  promised  myself  that  I  would  not  al 
low  my  temper  to  master  me  during  my  coming  interview  with 
Forrest,  but  to  meet  him  in  the  same  friendly  manner  as  former 
ly,  and  in  a  pleasant  way  force  him  to  do  justice  to  the  boy 
whom  I  believed  he  meant  to  use  so  cruelly.  But  we  are  gen 
erally  creatures  of  circumstance,  and  it  requires  long  training 
and  much  practice  to  be  able  to  meet  a  person  for  whom  you 
have  conceived  a  sudden  dislike,  in  the  same  friendly  manner  as 
formerly,  especially  when  one  is  premeditating  an  attack  upon 
him.  The  shrewd-witted  Forrest  in  an  instant  divined  that  my 
presence  in  his  room  at  this  unwonted  hour  boded  no  good  to 
himself.  To  his  last  demand  I  replied  in  a  cold  voice,  ' '  I'm  not 
here,  Mr.  Forrest,  to  ask  favors  for  myself,  but  to  demand  that 
you  shall  fulfill  your  contract  with  William !  You  know  what 
that  is !  Give  him  an  equal  division  of  the  money  you  got  from 
Kent,  and  a  transfer  of  himself,  together  with  the  two  bills  of 
sale,  to  whatever  person  he  himself  shall  choose  to  answer  that 
purpose.  That's  my  business  here,  Mr.  Forrest,  and  I'm  very 
sorry  to  be  obliged  to  force  you  to  do  so  simple  an  act  of  justice 
to  a  poor  slave,  whom  you  evidently  believed  tongue-tied  by 
dread  of  che  lash." 

Several  moments  after  I  had  concluded  speaking,  he  sat  with 
out  opening  his  lips,  pale  and  speechless.  The  blood  came  and 
went  rapidly  in  his  cheeks,  and  he  finally  bounced  to  his  feet 
and  began  to  defend  himself  in  the  following  incoherent  strain. 
"I  thought  last  night  that  I  was  going  to  have  trouble  with  that 


THE  "NIGGER"  GETS  OUT.  489 

d — n  uigger !  How  could  you  have  believed  such  a  ridiculous  lie 
from  him,  Morris?  He's  crazy  struck  after  a  wench  here,  and 
begged  me  for  an  hour  last  night  to  either  sell  him  to  some  per 
son  here,  or  to  buy  the  wench  and  take  them  both  along  with  me, 
and  when  I  refused  he  concocted  this  infernal  lie  to  work  upon 
your  sympathies;  and  I  don't  know  what  other  mischief  he  may 
have  done  me." 

Still  retaining  my  seat,  I  listened  to  this  language  with  all  due 
courtesy  and  attention,  and  when  I  had  heard  him  to  the  end  I 
replied  coolly,  "That  play  won't  answer  my  purpose,  Mr.  For 
rest.  I'm  here  for  business,  and  not  disposed  to  stand  any  non 
sense.  If  you  push  matters,  you'll  find  my  evidence  will  fasten 
upon  you  the  charge  of  negro-stealing,  and  they  hang  persons 
very  quick  in  this  city  for  stealing  a  slave  from  his  master. 
Let  me  once  give  Kent  an  inkling  of  this  business,  and  the 
chances  are  that  the  lyuchers  will  leave  you  in  the  piney  woods, 
strung  up  to  a  tree,  instead  of  your  having  fine  times  round  the 
North,  spending  Kent's  money.  Now  I  want  to  know  what 
you're  going  to  do.  And  be  quick  about  it,  too." 

Nothing  at  that  period  created  more  terror  in  the  mind  of  the 
Northerner  living  in  the  South,  than  the  thought  of  being  in  any 
way  implicated  in  anything  like  a  negro  conspiracy,  or  entering 
into  any  collusion  with  them,  or  in  any  way  assisting  them  to 
escape  from  their  masters ;  and  in  no  city  in  the  whole  South 
were  such  offenses  punished  more  surely  and  speedily  than  in  and 
around  Mobile.  Not  only  had  the  lynchers,  during  the  winter, 
sent  several  individuals  to  their  long  homes  with  a  short  shrift 
and  a  long  rope,  for  such  offenses,  but  one  had  a  few  weeks  since 
been  hanged  by  order  of  the  constituted  authorities  of  the  city 
of  Mobile.  These  facts  being  well  known  to  Forrest,  my  threats 
were  by  no  means  lost  upon  him,  and  he  felt  anything  but  com 
fortable  under  them.  With  bloodless  cheek  and  quivering  lip  he 
deprecated  my  anger,  and  assured  me  that  he  had  not  the  remot 
est  idea  of  wronging  the  boy :  that  he  had  always  intended  tak 
ing  him  with  him  to  the  North,  freeing  him,  and  there  handing 
over  to  him  his  lawful  share  of  the  spoils ;  and  that  only  the  fear 
of  some  difficulty  with  Kent,  or  the  arrest  of  William  with  the 
money  upon  his  person,  had  prevented  him  from  fulfilling  the 
original  compact,  when  he  was  desired  by  the  boy  to  do  so. 

"  Had  you  told  me,  Morris,"  with  a  persuasive  smile,  "  that  you 


490  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

knew  about  the' matter,  it  would  have  been  all  right,  for  I  was 
more  scared  of  your  '  dropping '  on  the  game  than  I  was  of  old 
Kent ;  and  yesterday,  when  you  talked  to  me  in  the  manner  you 
did  about  selling  the  boy  in  New  Orleans,  I  couldn't  make  out 
what  in  the  world  you  were  driving  at,  and  was  afraid  you  sus 
pected  that  something  was  wrong,  and  I  was  determined  not  to 
be  caught  in  a  trap,  but  to  be  on  the  safe  side." 

"Well,"  I  asked,  "are  you  willing  to  fulfill  your  contract 
now?" 

"  Of  course  I  am !  But  I  don't  want  you,  nor  the  boy  either, 
to  think  I  ever  had  any  intention  of  acting  dishonorably  in  the 
matter." 

But  I  did  think  so,  and  was  firmly  convinced  in  my  own 
niind  that  such  had  been  his  intention.  However,  it  was  policy 
for  me  to  make  him  think  otherwise,  so  I  merely  said,  "  Excuse 
me,  Mr.  Forrest,  if  I  have  wronged  you  in  this  matter.  I  was 
induced  by  all  the  circumstances  of  the  case  to  believe  it  was 
your  fixed  intention  to  rob  the  boy  and  sell  him  back  into  sla 
very,  immediately  upon  reaching  New  Orleans.  It  was  hard  for 
me  to  believe  you  could  be  guilty  of  so  dastardly  an  act,  and  I 
am  glad  to  know  that  my  suspicions  were  too  hasty,  and  without 
foundation.  I  shall  now,"  I  added,  "  call  in  William,  and  we  will 
arrange  his  business,"  rising  from  my  chair  to  fetch  the  boy, 
who  was  waiting  at  the  bottom  of  the  stairs.  Forrest  gave  him 
his  money,  and  also  a  fictitious  bill  of  sale  of  himself  to  me,  for 
one  thousand  dollars,  together  with  both  of  the  other  bills  of 
sale,  all  of  which  he  handed  over  to  me  for  safe  keeping.  This 
business  being  finished,  apparently  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  par 
ties  concerned,  I  ordered  William  to  have  all  our  baggage  packed 
and  ready  for  the  next  steamer  to  New  Orleans,  and  to  be  at  the 
boat  himself  half  an  hour  before  she  started ;  after  which  For 
rest  and  myself  went  to  the  restaurant  and  had  our  breakfast.  I 
never  let  Forrest  out  of  my  sight  until  we  were  all  together  upon 
the  New  Orleans  steamer;  and  without  having  bidden  good-by 
to  either  Kent  or  Greene,  I  saw  the  steeples  of  Mobile  fade  into 
dim  distance  for  the  last  time. 

The  next  morning  we  arrived  in  New  Orleans,  and  during  the 
day  I  kept  close  to  Forrest ;  I  had  detected  him  in  committing 
a  dirty  action,  and  persons  who  will  stoop  to  such  things  are 
usually  as  revengeful  as  a  scorned  woman.  An  anonymous  letter 


THE  " NIGGER"  GETS  OUT.  491 

from  him  to  the  Chief  of  Police  might  at  that  period  have  easily 
caused  the  arrest  of  William  and  myself,  on  the  charge  that  I  was 
stealing  the  boy,  and  might  have  given  us  considerable  trouble 
before  we  could  have  gotten  released.  I  had  no  better  reason 
than  mere  suspicion  for  believing  him  capable  of  so  mean  an  ac 
tion,  but  I  thought  best  to  be  on  the  safe  side.  Without  his 
knowledge,  William  and  myself  were  that  evening  among  the 
passengers  of  the  "Diana,"  bound  for  Louisville. 

On  our  arrival  in  Cincinnati  I  caused  William  to  be  put  in  pos 
session  of  the  requisite  free  papers,  and  also  handed  over  his 
money  to  him ;  and  at  his  request  went  to  Paris,  Kentucky,  and 
purchased  his  mother  for  five  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  who  was 
of  course  also  immediately  set  free  on  her  arrival  in  Cincinnati. 
Her  son  bought  and  furnished,  for  the  use  of  both,  a  comfortable 
cottage,  and  showed  himself,  in  after  years,  entirely  worthy  of 
the  boon  of  freedom,  by  his  sober  and  industrious  habits,  which 
won  him  the  respect  and  good  opinion  of  all  who  knew  him. 

As  to  Forrest,  we  never  met  again,  nor  did  I  desire  that  we 
should,  for  our  meeting  could  not  have  been  productive  of  any 
pleasure  to  either  party.  I  have  since  sometimes  regretted  that 
I  had  not  made  known  to  him  my  part  in  the  conspiracy  to 
swindle  Kent  out  of  his  boy  and  his  money,  for  then  he  would 
have  been  saved  the  mortification  of  the  charge  which  I  brought 
against  him,  and  which  I  have  ever  believed  to  have  been  strictly 
true. 

At  the  time  of  making  the  compact  with  William,  he  no  doubt 
meant  to  abide  by  the  terms  most  religiously  and  faithfully.  But 
the  amount  of  money  tempted  his  avarice.  To  him  it  was  a 
small  fortune,  which  he  could  retain  without  the  smallest  danger, 
since  dread  of  the  lash  tied  the  tongue  of  the  only  person  capable 
of  testifying  against  him,  and  forbade  the  boy  to  denounce  the 
villain  who  had  wronged  him.  Then  why  should  he  surrender 
so  valuable  a  prize  to  a  nigger  ?  'Twas  truly  but  casting  pearls 
before  swine !  Besides,  the  boy  was  a  great  sight  better  off  in 
slavery.  Such  were  doubtless  some  of  the  nice  arguments  used 
by  Forrest  to  quiet  his  conscience,  and  to  reconcile  it  to  the  das 
tardly  act  which  he  was  about  to  commit ;  always  supposing  him 
to  have  been  encumbered  with  such  a  commodity.  Thousands 
commit  similar  actions  daily;  not  because  the  majority  of  man 
kind  are  inherently  vicious;  but  because  they  are  vanquished  by 


4D-2  WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND. 

some  powerful  temptation.  On  the  contrary,  but  a  very  small 
minority  are  utterly  depraved;  but  the  best-balanced  minds  are 
at  times  tempted  to  diverge  from  the  paths  of  honor,  and  such 
will  not  cease  to  be  the  case,  so  long  as  gain  continues  to  be  the 
chief  pursuit  of  mankind.  Schiller  tells  us  that  there  have  been 
in  his  life  periods  when  he  was  capable  of  committing  any  crime. 
In  that  respect  he  was  not  one  whit  worse  than  the  majority  of 
mankind,  and  among  these  may  be  ranked  myriads  who  preach 
morality,  and  assume  the  saintly  garb  of  virtue. 

Slavery  became  so  demoralizing  to  the  South,  that  negroes 
came  to  be  considered  beyond  the  pale  of  justice.  Even  those 
bearing  upon  their  person  free  papers  had  no  rights  which  were 
respected  by  the  whites,  unless  protected  by  powerful  patrons. 
Hundreds  of  the  free  negroes  coming  into  the  southern  ports 
were  kidnapped  and  sold  into  bondage.  In  New  Orleans,  more 
especially,  was  this  business  carried  on  to  a  fearful  extent. 
Servants  were  decoyed  from  ships  and  steamers,  robbed  of  their 
free  papers,  when  they  would  be  conveyed  to  some  of  the  plan 
tations  along  the  coast,  and  there  forced  to  work  under  the  lash. 

About  fifty  of  these  unfortunates  were  worked  on  a  sugar  plan 
tation  up  the  river,  owned  by  an  American  named  Poindexter, 
about  sixty  miles  from  New  Orleans.  In  this  fellow  the  crimps 
of  that  city  found  a  ready  purchaser  for  their  stolen  chattels. 

These  outrages  were  well  known  to  the  authorities  of  New  Or 
leans;  they  were  public  talk  upon  the  streets,  and  within  the 
knowledge  of  law-makers,  magistrates,  and  members  of  the 
gospel;  yet  were  never  denounced  upon  the  forum,  in  the  pulpit, 
or  by  the  public  press  of  the  city.  Not  a  single  voice  was  raised 
in  favor  of  restoring  these  outraged  human  beings  to  their  right 
ful  liberty.  All  sense  of  justice  to  them  was  smothered. 


WILL     SHORTLY     APPEAR, 

A  SEQUEL  TO 

"WANDERINGS  OF  A  VAGABOND." 


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